Lighting a fire under the state’s largest employer requires a deliberate strategy and an engaged membership. This latest collective bargaining report highlights the gains made by nine AFT Connecticut-affiliated public employee unions and chapters. It is a blueprint for how tens of thousands of working people can win a better future – a model adaptable to any labor organization.
Most units within the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) began preparing in late 2024 for contracts expiring in July 2025. Union leaders pooled resources and shared strategies across executive and judicial branch agencies and higher education institutions. This unified approach sustained bargaining teams even after current contracts expired.
Optimism grew last winter when the Judicial Professionals Employees (JPE) Union won an arbitration award for a one-year agreement after declaring impasse.
“This award absolutely sets a precedent for the fair wages all state employees deserve,” JPE President Rob Moreau said at the time. “It also sends a clear message to Governor Lamont that he should take negotiations seriously and offer honorable contracts that reflect workforce needs beyond one year.”
However, negotiations dragged into 2026, risking further delays if settlements weren’t reached before the legislative session adjourned. In mid-March, union leaders mobilized a massive demonstration in Hartford to move the needle.
Emceeing the event, State Vocational Federation of Teachers President and AFT Connecticut Vice President for Public Employees Makenzi Hurtado (at podium, in photo, above) delivered the coalition’s demands.
“Together, we’re calling on Governor Lamont and outside employers to make recruiting, retaining and reinvesting in the workforce who provide ‘The Connecticut Difference’ a priority. My hope for my children’s and all our children’s futures is that they will have options available for them, and strong, stable services they can depend on throughout their lives.”
Within weeks, 32 tentative agreements were reached. These three- and four-year contracts followed a uniform framework for annual salary increases while securing unit-specific benefits won by individual negotiating committees.
“This contract proves that improving faculty working conditions directly enriches student learning opportunities,” said UConn-AAUP Executive Vice President Andrew Bush. “By securing guaranteed paid parental leave for the first time in our chapter’s history, we have moved beyond traditional labor gains to ‘Bargaining for the Common Good.’”
Members ratified the agreements by strong majorities, and legislative leaders quickly scheduled hearings. Administrative & Residual (A&R) Employees Union President John Disette noted the high political stakes.
“The fact that our contracts are being considered by state lawmakers in the middle of yet another partial federal government shutdown should not be lost on anyone,” he said. “When Washington undermines federal protections, reinvesting in Connecticut’s state workforce matters more than ever.”
The resolution won approval in both chambers, receiving support largely along party lines. Four-year contract provisions are retroactive to July 1, 2025, while three-year agreements take effect July 1, 2026. The framework includes a reopener to determine salaries for the final year of the pacts.
We celebrated the ratification and legislative approval of our nine coalition affiliates on social media:
- A&R Employees Union
- Association of Connecticut Assistant Attorneys General (AAGs)
- CSU-AAUP Local 6745
- JPE Union
- State Vocational Federation of Teachers
- UConn-AAUP
- UCHC-AAUP
- University Health Professionals (UHP)
- University of Connecticut Professional Employees Association (UCPEA)
Since our January report, two additional affiliates have also announced wins:
A future report will cover four additional pending settlements and a recent arbitration victory.
