Politics

Congress Must Support Paras' Growth and Development

Fri, 01/30/2015 - 3:30pm
AFT is urging federal lawmakers to preserve in a reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) those provisions that help paraprofessionals get the knowledge and training they need to continue to make outstanding classroom contributions. At risk is the ability of local districts to recruit and retain these indispensable members of the school team who make student success possible.
 
Click here to read press coverage of AFT's advocacy on the issue.
 

Teachers Back Gomes

Thu, 01/29/2015 - 4:30pm
Bridgeport - Connecticut teachers have endorsed Edwin Gomes for the special election in the 23rd Senate District, which includes portions of Bridgeport and Stratford. Gomes, a former state Senator, received the endorsement from both of the state’s teachers’ organizations, the Connecticut Education Association (CEA) and American Federation of Teachers Connecticut (AFT Connecticut).
 

Nurses Weigh In on the 40-Hour Workweek Debate

Wed, 01/28/2015 - 6:00pm
Registered nurses (RNs) Irene Jagde and Janice Stauffer, members of the Danbury Nurses Union, Unit 47, last week traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak out against a proposal to redefine who qualifies as a full-time worker under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing on the matter titled "Examining Job-Based Health Insurance and Defining Full-Time Work."
 
Click here to watch the full HELP Committee hearing.
 

Tech Professionals at Danbury, New Milford Hospitals Vote for Voice to Improve Care

Sun, 11/23/2014 - 12:00pm
Danbury - Surgical and radiology technologists, licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and respiratory clinicians at Danbury and New Milford Hospitals on Friday voted "Union Yes" in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)-supervised election. The caregivers cast their ballots 11 weeks after achieving majority status and seeking voluntary recognition of their union from the Western Connecticut Health Network (WCHN). The network refused, leading to lengthy and costly delays, a federal labor board hearing in October and Friday's secret ballot vote for the new bargaining unit of approximately 260 employees.
 

To Fight Ebola America Needs a "Top Doc" Now

Sat, 11/15/2014 - 12:00pm
In November of 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General of the United States. But right-wing politicians are standing in the way of his confirmation, leaving all of us without a "top doc" for the nation. Whether it’s the unprecedented spread of Ebola or a bad flu epidemic, healthcare workers are on the frontlines of public health scares and crises every day. There’s no place for politics when people are putting their lives on the line.
 
Click here to sign the petition to say you "stand with Vivek" for surgeon general.
 

AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer, AFT President to Rally Union Members, "GOTV" for Endorsed Candidates

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 2:30pm
Rocky Hill -- AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Liz Shuler and AFT President Randi Weingarten, accompanied by Governor Dannel Malloy and U.S. Representative Elizabeth Esty, on Sunday, October 26th will join union members at a Labor-to-Labor walk in Farmington to kick off "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) efforts in support of the governor's race and other local elections.
 

Question 1 - Vote YES for a Stronger Democracy

Tue, 09/30/2014 - 12:00pm
On November 4, there will be a State Constitutional Amendment (Question 1) on the Connecticut ballot. The purpose is to improve voter turnout by removing barriers that often discourage and deter eligible voters from exercising their most fundamental democratic right. More than 30 states already allow "early voting," but ours does not. That's why AFT Connecticut is urging a YES vote on Question 1 to make it possible here, too. 
 
Click here to learn more about the "Vote YES Connecticut" campaign.
 

Turning Up the Heat to "Reclaim the Planet"

Wed, 09/24/2014 - 5:00pm
The sense of doom that motivated an estimated 310,000 people to converge on the Upper West Side of New York City on Sunday for the People's Climate March did not dampen their hope and optimism for a vision of a green future. Swelling the crowd were hundreds of AFT members and thousands of trade unionists from the more than 70 labor organizations that were co-sponsors of the day's events.
 
Click here to watch a brief video on the historic event.
 

Comments on Foley Campaign's Proposed Scheme to "Starve State's Schools"

Tue, 09/23/2014 - 4:00pm
Melodie Peters, president of AFT Connecticut, made the following remarks in response to an education proposal promoted by Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley in a campaign ad and recent public comments:
 

Weingarten Tour Highlights Partnerships that Work

Wed, 09/10/2014 - 5:00pm
AFT President Randi Weingarten continued her national back-to-school visits last week with a two-state New England swing that showcased the type of trust, accountability and collaboration that has sparked concrete improvement in local public schools. After visiting two Massachusetts communities, she toured schools in Meriden and New Haven, where she was accompanied for much of the day by Gov. Dannel Malloy.
 
Click here for photos from Weingarten’s visits with Connecticut union members.
 
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