AFT Votes

Offering Hope through Union Activism

Thu, 10/13/2022 - 5:00pm
Members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated local unions representing health professionals in an increasingly consolidated industry are raising the alarm when it comes to an escalating patient care crisis. In an interview for our national union's online "AFT Health Care," Backus Federation of Nurses President Sherri Dayton (left in photo, below) offers insights and suggestions for overcoming challenges. Her timely advice includes supporting candidates seeking political office this November running on the "labor is your neighbor" platform:

Resisting a Right-Wing Take-Over of Public Ed

Tue, 08/31/2021 - 5:30pm
Municipal elections provide union households the opportunity to impact employment and educational policies in their community’s schools. This basic civic responsibility in 2021 takes on added urgency; deep-pocketed special interests are funding local candidates to carry out extremist agendas. Members stepping up to demonstrate that “labor is your neighbor” provide a path forward this fall for defending educators' hard-fought gains and children’s future learning opportunities.
 

Making Our Collective Voice "Heard in the Voting Booth"

Tue, 11/19/2019 - 6:30pm
The vote tallies in the 2019 General Election say it all; 23 members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated local unions across the state won their respective races for municipal office. There is no debating the value of backing our sisters and brothers when they step up to show their communities that “labor is your neighbor.” Importantly, it also points to the path for restoring working peoples' political power as nationally important elections in 2020 draw near.
 
Click here for final election results in races in which AFT Connecticut made endorsements.
 

Working Together to Protect Retirement Security

Tue, 01/29/2019 - 6:30pm
A small group of leaders representing several public sector unions in mid January sat down with Governor Ned Lamont and members of his new administration. The purpose of the informal meeting was to explore potential efforts to further safeguard pensions for state employees and shore up retirement funding for teachers. The discussion followed Lamont's frequent assertions last year as a candidate to treat working people — particularly, union members — in Connecticut with "fairness, dignity and respect."
 

Winning in 2018, Overcoming in 2019

Wed, 01/02/2019 - 6:30pm
As we begin a new year, questions remain about the direction for Connecticut and the country. What is not in question is the direction of our union and our labor movement. That's because the "roadmap" state federation leaders adopted in 2017 and which inspired many local affiliates' strategic plans in 2018 are firmly rooted in common guiding principles. Collectively, they demonstrate that the "U & I in Union" assures that when we stand together, we are strong.
 

Standing Up to the State Employee "Blame Game"

Sat, 12/22/2018 - 1:00pm
Last month on Election Day the candidates for statewide office and the legislature who pledged to stand up for Connecticut's working families won big. Yet corporate lobbyists and their front groups continue pushing austerity policies that benefit big business and the ultra-rich ahead of the opening of the General Assembly's 2019 session. Union leaders are mobilizing to ensure the new Lamont Administration and incoming lawmakers make better choices than more middle-class givebacks or additional public service cuts.
 

Proving "Our Determination" at the Negotiating Table

Mon, 11/26/2018 - 6:30pm
Members of five AFT Connecticut-affiliated local unions have over the past three months secured new contracts that raise wages, protect benefits, secure jobs and improve working conditions. While each individual agreement represents significant progress for working people, two in particular demonstrate the power of collective action. Both are the product of members engaged in local political and legislative action that positively impacted talks with their employers.
 

Building the Foundation for a Better Future

Fri, 11/09/2018 - 6:00pm
The polls are closed, the votes are in and Connecticut’s political landscape through 2020 is clear. Thanks to the collective efforts of the labor movement, candidates won on Tuesday who ran as problem solvers and champions for working people. Members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated unions played a decisive role in the outcome, helping propel 73 percent of those we backed in the General Election ballot to victory.
 
Click here for the results of our endorsed candidates' races.
 

Comments on State GOP's "Shameful and Hypocritical" Public School Political Rally

Fri, 10/12/2018 - 1:30pm
Jan Hochadel, president of AFT Connecticut, made the following remarks regarding the Connecticut Republican Party's announced rally for political candidates tomorrow at Pomperaug Regional High School in Southbury:
 

Winning Power for Working People at the Ballot Box

Fri, 09/07/2018 - 5:30pm
The Labor Day holiday weekend traditionally marks the beginning of the "political season" when most voters begin to pay attention to the choices in early November's General Election. Dozens of activists in AFT Connecticut-affiliated unions have been engaged in the process as far back as last winter. Their efforts have built a foundation that is providing momentum for the final phase of our member-powered political program for 2018, which is now underway.
 
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