Nurses and Health Professionals

Note - updates on the impact of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak on nurses and health professionals and members of healthcare local unions will be linked here. *
 
Click here for results of our board of education (BOE) union coalition return to school survey (Jan 11, 2022).
 
Click here for Department of Public Health (DPH) guidance on mandatory hospital and school employee vaccinations (Jan. 4, 2022).
 
Click here for the state Department of Education (SDE)'s COVID-19 self-test kits distribution plan (Jan. 3, 2022).
 
Click here for the federal disease control agency website's healthcare professionals resource page (Dec. 23, 2021).
 
Click here for our national union's vaccine-related resources for local leaders (Dec. 7, 2021).
 
Click here for union vaccine resources for health professionals (Dec. 1, 2021).
 
Click here for the state health department’s COVID-19 information for healthcare professionals (Apr. 29, 2021).
 
Click here for our legal counsel's memo on COVID-19 and employment rights (Jul. 27, 2020).
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AFT Connecticut is the largest union of acute care hospital workers in the state, representing approximately 10,000 nurses and allied health professionals. Our labor federation’s members work in more than 20 hospitals, community clinics and school district and college-based settings. From securing strong contracts to establishing safe staffing requirements, our members advocate for improved conditions for all healthcare workers as well as career education, relevant training and professional development.
 
Click here to learn how members are engaging with their community to save vital services (Jul. 20, 2021).
 
Click here to sign and share the petition to restore Windham's labor and delivery services (Aug., 2020). 
 
* updates for members of the unions in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) will be linked to our main 'Public Employees' page.
 

Helping Members Beat Inflation with "Dollars in their Pockets"

Mon, 10/31/2022 - 5:50pm
The negotiating table continues to be where labor and management can find the common ground necessary to plug retention shortfalls and close nagging recruitment gaps impacting nearly all industries. Numerous affiliated local unions from across our state federation have for the past three months focused efforts on this shared objective. Our latest collective bargaining report highlights a recent contract victory where members tapped the power of "Union YES" to secure immediate gains and build momentum for future progress.
 

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:

Taking Action to Resolve Windham’s Patient Care Crisis

Fri, 09/16/2022 - 2:30pm
Caregivers in the state's "Quiet Corner" are joining the growing chorus of their colleagues across the nation calling strikes when provoked by heartless health chains. Local AFT Connecticut-affiliated union leaders in a joint commentary explained how members reached this difficult decision. Windham Federation of Professional Nurses President Andrea Riley, RN, (left photo, below) and Windham Community Memorial Hospital (WCMH) Employees United President Heather Howlett, CA (right photo) collectively urged support from "all who share our concerns:"
 

Preserving a Community’s Vital Health Services

Mon, 08/22/2022 - 5:30pm
Members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated local unions representing health professionals employed by Hartford HealthCare (HHC) are resisting attempts to gut their patients' obstetric services. In a recent opinion piece, Natchaug Hospital Unions United Vice President and community coalition leader Brenda Buchbinder (at microphone, in photo below) called out the chain's neglect, urging executives make "maternity services safe and local once more."
 
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