The CT Working Families Party is seeking to train and support anyone interested in running for elected office in their district.  The following message was received from the CT Working Families Party:

This year, we're working hard to find, recruit, and train candidates for local and state office, and we think that person might just be you!

We're looking for progressive champions who aren't afraid to stand up and fight. We want candidates who believe that our economy should work for everyone, not just the richest 1%. Leaders who think every single child deserves a great education, and every

Governor Malloy is making it clear that layoffs are pending and he is setting the narrative that the Unions don't want to help solve the budget issues.  This is comical as State employees have given hundreds of millions over the past 6 years.  We would like to think that the governor respects the sacrifices our members have already made in the agreement he negotiated in 2011 and that cuts and layoffs will only damage Connecticut’s economy.   

The truth is that the Unions have not had discussions with the Governor, nor have the Unions turned down a meeting with the Governor, nor are we likely to

UCPEA employees (University of Connecticut Professional Employees Association) voted overwhelmingly to have their contract renegotiated rather than re-submit their contract to the legislature.

UCPEA employees and UConn ratified a contract agreement and submitted it to the General Assembly in early February. 2016. The 5-year agreement called for moving from a 35hr workweek to a 40hr workweek as well as wage increases of 2%, 1%, 1%, 1%, and 1% .

This contract became a political tug-of-war in the General Assembly with various misconceptions and rumors that didn't properly represent the agreement. 

Each Commissioner has been tasked with submitting an agency budget with reductions that reflect the Governor's Budget proposals (basically an overall  reduction of 5.75% and the elimination of certain programs).   The Commissioners are expected to have their plans for achieving the 5.75% reduction finalized and submitted this week.

It is anticipated that the reduction plans submitted by the Commissioners will include layoffs at several agencies. Today, the Office of Labor Relations gave official notification to the Unions to expect layoffs in the near future. 

On Monday, Commissioner Semple

The State wants to require all employees to participate in direct deposit of paychecks in the future.  We are seeking input from the membership regarding this matter.  We recognize the benefits of direct deposit (the most significant benefit being the immediate availability of funds).  However, we want to know of members' concerns about direct deposit.

If you have concerns about mandatory direct deposit, or if you have reasons why mandatory direct deposit would be a hardship for you, please let us know by following this link. {unlinked, thank you for all of the responses]

The Governor's Office continues to be on a path of confusion with their self-created "fiscal cliff" and their "new economic reality".  The Governor held an Open Budget Forum in New Haven this week to push his budget agenda.  That meeting was well attended by A&R members as well as members from other State employee unions.  Members questioned the Governor about his budget plan which not only calls for reduced wages for State employees but also for reductions in the State workforce.  Other Unions are joining us at these events so stop in for a show of solidarity when the next event is scheduled