Pro-Worker Agenda Won at Legislature

Years of workers organizing at the state legislature delivered one of the strongest pro-worker bills in recent Connecticut history this session. House Bill 5003, a sweeping labor omnibus package, passed with strong bipartisan support, marking a significant step forward for workers’ rights, workplace safety, and fair pay.

Labor Committee chair Sen Julie Kushner said she had been workong on the bill for years. “It took more than six hours of floor debate, but we got it done.” she added.

“This legislative session delivered real, meaningful progress for working people across Connecticut,” said Ed Hawthorne, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO. “From strengthening workplace protections to extending workers’ compensation benefits, many legislators stood up for the working people of this state.”

Summarizing the 75 sections of the bill, Sen Kushner said it “touches workers across nearly every sector of our economy. Teachers and health care workers who are assaulted on the job will now receive full wage replacement. General contractors will be jointly liable when their subcontractors cheat workers out of wages. Service workers have to be retained on the job when a new contracter comes in. Wage transparency gets stronger. And first responders will have access to tuition assistance and mortgage help so they can afford to live in the communities they serve. Should they lose their lives in service, their families will still have health coverage. “

The bill was signed into law at the offices of SEIU 32 BJ spotlighting service worker retention protections requiring incoming building service contractors to retain existing workers for 90 days. It also calls for a 15-day notice of a switch in employers.

“At 32BJ SEIU, we stand firmly behind the belief that every worker is deserving of just and dignified treatment. Worker Retention Laws protect workers from overnight job termination and unjust losses in their pay, insurance, and benefits.” said Connecticut leader Rochelle Palache.

“Despite the significant progress,” acknowleged Hawthorne, “we’re disappointed in the lack of higher education funding and the lack of truly meaningful worker protections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” .

CCAG: Know the Facts, Shift the Narrative

Coalitiion building was a hallmark during this session of the Connecticut State Legislature as labor and community and immigrant rights groups allied to “Stand Up Connecticut” against the attacks from the Trump administration on working people.

The long term fight has been for economic and social justice in a state with one of the highest gaps between billionaires and everyone else and the need to tax the rich including the windfall delivered to billionaires by MAGA while cutting healthcare and all services.

The Connecticut For All coalition, CT AFL-CIO, the Immigrants Coalition and the Connecticut Tenants Union all mobilized with significant partial victories for people's needs. The following assessment of the session is from the Connecticut Citizens Action Group, addressing the priorities they mobilized around.

By CCAG

Wednesday night marked the last day of Connecticut’s legislative session for 2026. For many of us, this entire session has felt like emergency triage due to DOGE-damage and the Trump administration. Luckily, many Connecticut legislators and advocates, like you, stepped up to fight back. Connecticut started the year with a massive budget cut from the Federal government leaving families vulnerable to food insecurity, lack of medical care and then soon after skyrocketing prices due to the illegal war of aggression against Iran.  We saw some significant victories, and some disappointments. But the people of the Nutmeg state came together to send a strong message to Washington DC/Mara-Lago that Connecticut will not be held hostage and we will protect our communities.  First and foremost, we want to thank every person who protested, testified, wrote a letter, called their legislator, came to a lobby day or even just shared information this session. It is because of you we have new legislation reigning in the unchecked power of ICE, renewing community solar programs, the implementation of universal absentee voting and so much more.  This session, CCAG was focused on Democracy, Climate & Environment, Healthcare and Private Equity.  The legislature passed a budget which makes adjustments to the spending guardrails and volatility cap, acknowledging the need for us to spend more to meet this moment. We did not see all we wanted, particularly around progressive revenue and in protecting healthcare for more than 200,000 people slated to lose it due to harmful federal cuts - we continue these fights. Along with several legislative victories it did give us something else worth holding onto:  Proof that organized people can still bend power toward the public good. What we won together: Democracy and immigrant protections: SB 397 strengthens accountability for federal law enforcement, including ICE, by allowing residents to sue in state court for violations of their rights. It also protects sensitive places like schools, hospitals, and houses of worship, requires federal agents to show identification, bans masks, and limits license plate reader surveillance. Voting rights: HB 5001 implements no-excuse absentee voting, following Connecticut voters' approval of the constitutional amendment in 2024. The bill also includes a ban on ICE at polling places, a major victory for democracy and voter protection. Healthcare: HB 5127 passed, restricting medical providers from promoting or helping patients sign up for medical credit cards that can trap people in high-interest debt. Key pieces of the healthcare affordability fight also moved forward through the budget, including extended subsidies, guardrail adjustments, and a feasibility study for a Connecticut Option. We again defeated Junk Insurance plans, which would  have placed small businesses at risk. Private equity accountability: Two bills addressing private equity passed both chambers this session. SB 125 requires greater transparency in nursing home ownership, helping expose who is actually profiting from care facilities. SB 196 limits hospital real estate investment trusts, or REIT,arrangements, a financial scheme that can separate hospitals from the land they sit on, drive up costs, and drain resources away from patient care. Together, these bills are important first steps toward stopping private equity and real estate investors from treating healthcare as another extraction site. Climate and environment: HB 5340 expands access to renewable power generation and solar energy, while HB 5334 strengthens protections for riparian areas, the vegetated land near rivers and streams that helps reduce flooding, prevent erosion, protect drinking water, and filter toxins. Economic justice: HB 5003 makes targeted investments in safer and more equitable workplaces, supporting workers, including first responders, veterans, nurses, teachers, and blue-collar workers. What still needs pressure: Connecticut has the resources to do better. We are one of the wealthiest states in the country. No one should go without food, healthcare, safe housing, clean water, or protection from a dangerous climate while billionaires receive massive federal tax cuts. Victories are not the end of the work. They are proof that pressure works. We will keep organizing, keep watching, and keep pushing for a state that meets this moment with the courage our communities deserve.

May Day Highlights Working Class Unity from the Streets to the Polls

 

by Jahmal Henderson

Workers, high school students, and community members filled the New Haven Green for May Day demonstrations calling out corporate greed and demanding stronger protections for workers.

Three rallies were organized by the May Day Strong coalition in Connecticut beginning in Hartford with a protest at Palentir electronics against their collaboration with ICE, and then rallying at the State Capitol celebrating passage of a major labor bill that day.

In the afternoon in New Haven many stopped by a host of information tables including the Connecticut People’s World to learn more about the issues. Speeches from labor, peace and social justice groups were followed by a march through downtown.

Born from the 1886 U.S. push for the eight hour day, International Workers’ Day unites people worldwide in honoring labor’s struggles and solidarity.

On Saturday the annual People's World May Day rally “Working Class Unity: From the Streets to the Polls.” brought everyone together around the urgent need to protect our voting and democratic rights. It reminded us that real change starts with the work we do on the ground, informing our communities, sharing essential information, having meaningful conversations, and carrying that collective energy to the polls to make the changes we need.

Emcee Jahmal Henderson, chair of the Newhall CTCPUSA Club and a key organizer in Connecticut, announced the Edie and George Fishman Library gifted to the New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT) last July with volumes spanning 80 years of working class struggle..

The rally opened with greetings from Leslie Blatteau, president of NHFT and high school student Brandon Daley along with leaders of Unite Here Locals 33 and 34 at Yale. Brandon, a junior, described his deep involvement in local youth advocacy, from protesting for increased education funding to holding Yale accountable and organizing a Students over Billionaires school walkout on May Day.

BarbaraVereen, organizing director of Unite Here Local 34, called for solidarity with Yale’s clerical and technical workers, expressing appreciation for turnout at the massive April 23 contract rally where members demanded higher wages in response to inflation and rising living costs while Yale's $44 billion endowment continues to soar. Jake Thrasher, staff organizer of Local 33 spoke about their campaign to win union recognition for Yale’s postdoctoral workers. Postdoc Greg Zilberg got an ovation when he announced that on May 1, 2026 an overwhelming vote won representation for nearly 1,400 researchers. 

The centerpiece of the event was an inspiring slideshow "May Day Around the World", highlighting labor rights rallies and protests on all continents and industries mirroring the huge rallies against MAGA and for workers rights and immigrant rights throughout Connecticut and the U.S. Union members Terrell Williams, Lisa Armstrong, and Ben McManus served as narrators, underscoring the significance of the U.S. labor movement reclaiming International Workers Day this year..

The crowd was treated to a special performance by Scotticesa Marks and her family filling the room with songs of resistance, inspiring attendees to rise to their feet and join in, singing their favorite tunes as the whole crowd sang along. Scotticesa created a new movement song from the words on the Communist Party banner carried in the May Day march, “Tax the Rich, House the Poor, Money for Jobs, Not for War.”

Jess Corbett, president of the Western Connecticut Area Labor Federation and proud member of Local 34 and New Haven Rising, stepped up to the mic to lay out this year's May Day demands. He reminded everyone the fight to Tax the Rich, in Connecticut and across the country, is far from over, and that working people have to keep pushing back against a system built to protect the rich..

Tabitha Sookdeo, executive director of Connecticut Students for a Dream, lifted up the demand of “No ICE” and the ongoing struggle for immigrant rights. She spoke about how easy it is to feel discouraged in moments like these, but also how important it is to remember that we are not alone, and we are not powerless. Together, we defend our communities by demanding stronger, humane immigration laws. An omnibus bill expanding protections was signed into law in Connecticut three days later, the result of a huge organizing effort.

Henry Lowendorf, chair of the Greater New Haven Peace Council, spoke on the demand of “No War,” displaying a banner showing the billions poured into war while the resources working people depend on continue to shrink. His message was clear: every dollar spent on war is a dollar stolen from the working class.

Jess spoke about the fourth demand “Protect Our Vote.” Solidarity pledge cards were signed and turned in, another step in defending democracy from the ground up.

The May Day celebration closed with the New Haven group "Singing Resistance". Voices rose, chants echoed back and forth, and the night ended the way May Day should, community and workers standing together, singing together, and refusing to back down.

Waterbury May Day: We are the Resistance

The May Day rally/celebration on the Waterbury Green was full of militant energy and excitement. A

father/son duo played Congo drums as people arrived. People rocked and rolled as they signed in.

Bilal Tajildeen, one of the organizers, introduced MC Kay Munoz. She had great energy and spoke in

both English and Spanish. With placards, some in Spanish,“Aqui Estamos y Nos Vamos,” and some in English, “Fund Healthcare Not Wars,” “Power To The People,” and “Tax Billionaires,” waving in the evening light, Kay told a personal story. With emotion she explained how her grandfather, suffering a great deal of pain, worked so hard to support the extended family.

Naugatuck Valley Project representive Karime Pimentel spoke in Spanish while Jacqueline Bayas translated in English. She shared the plight of Domestic Workers. The highlight was how they rallied at the legislature to demand sick days and won! In the process, their profession was acknowledged and respected.

On the Green, labor/community educator Steve Schrag set up a table full of registration voter forms and a box asking people to check off a form rating the President’s job. Steve invited the crowd to sign up for a teach-in on May 19th from 6-8 pm at The People Center, Waterbury.

Carpenters Union representative Mike Iacoviello explained the history of May Day. He shared that everyone should have not just a living wage but a thriving wage. Also present was Kit Salazar Smith, staunch unionist and recently anointed Naugatucks’ 2026 Earth Day Mayor for the Day. Starting in the 1990s, Kit fought for and helped win the creation of Naugatuck’s Passive Park/Nature Preserve and the green jobs it generated.

Rapping up the presentations, Ryan Hendricks, recruited by Maribel Rodriguez, performed a poem about working people. He put it together in less than 2 weeks. It was a big hit with the crowd.

With Congo drums playing in the background, people marched and chanted in English and in Spanish around the Green. The energy was palpable and the time enjoyed by all.

– Maribel Rodriguez

Major Immigrant protection bill signed into law

The successful, hard fought campaign to expand protections for immigrants in Connecticut was celebrated at the bill signing of SB 397 outside the State Supreme Court. Written following wanton ICE violence in Minnesota and other communities, the bill was championed by New Haven State Sen Gary Winfield, chair of the Judiciary Committee.

In a contentious two day House debate, Connecticut stories of ICE kidnapping immigrant students and parents were shared. “This is a very measured response to federal overreach and a way to protect people living here in the state of Connecticut from, frankly, a lawless and out-of-control ICE.” said Bridgeport state representative Steven Stafstrom.

The omnibus bill creates ‘protected areas’ from immigration enforcement including schools, hospitals, social service agencies and houses of worship. It bans agents from wearing masks, allows citizens to sue for constitutional violations, and limits use of automated license plate readers It prohibits state or local police departments from hiring former federal law enforcement officers found guilty of misconduct and requires 480 hours of training before officers can be hired by state agencies. 

It also gives the state inspector general the right to investigate the use of deadly force by federal agents, and removes immunity from officers who arrest or assault someone taking photos or videotaping their actions

After passing the Senate, the bill was debated in the House for two days before passing 91-57 along party lines. No Republicans voted in favor.

“Many thanks to everyone who made this possible by testifying, showing up and spreading the word,” said Tabitha Sookdeo, naming “CT For All organizations that worked tirelessly, members and staff at CT Students for a Dream, ACLU of CT, Husky for Immigrants, Hartford Deportation Defense, Make the Road CT, NHFT, 32 BJ SEIU, SEIU 1199 NE, CT AFL-CIO, GHIAA, and more.” 

The Connecticut AFL-CIO joined in support of the rights of immigrant workers. “This bill is a vital step in ensuring that ICE is held accountable to Connecticut’s laws,” said president Ed Hawthorne. “It serves as a reminder that when we raise our voices against injustice, we create real change”.

Yale Workers Say “We Can't Keep Up”

Unity of purpose and determination filled the streets in New Haven on April 23 as hundreds of union workers and community allies marched on Yale with a clear message: “We Can't Keep Up!”

The members of Unite Here Locals 34 and 35, are fighting for fair wages and benefits to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living. But for seven months there has been little progress from wealthyYale University at the bargaining table

When Unite Here International President Gwen Mills took the mic following the march, she pointed toward the administration offices saying, “My message to Yale is that the entire union is behind these workers 110%. My message to you,” she said looking out at the massive crowd of union members is “we have your back.”

Yale claims they are in dire straits and have reduced staff and non-tenure faculty. They’ve even revoked summer storage for low-income students and made cuts to graduate enrollment. You might think Yale is on the verge of collapsing. Yale is hoping we don’t know any better. We do know better.

Yale is sitting on over $44 billion – making them the second wealthiest university in the nation.

When they claimed their back was against the wall in the past and made cuts to the workforce, their endowment continued to grow.

What are the workers at Yale asking for? Improvements to their health care, critical job protection language, and a wage increase that reflects the value of their work and makes up for what they lost since the end of their last contract.

The workers at Yale are the unsung heroes of the university and they deserve a contract that reflects the value they add to the school every single day. What Yale union workers are able to win sets the standard for all workers in the region.

“Yale must pay its fair share and settle fair contracts. We must build a city where our residents have access to good jobs, world-class schools, affordable housing, and youth opportunities.” said New Haven Rising director Scott Marks.

Alpha Capital Slammed for Retaliations against Tenants

State senator Martha Marx and state representatives Nick Menapace and Nick Gauthier hosted a press conference and sent a letter calling on the CEO of Alpha Capital Funds to rescind retaliatory lease violation notices threatening eviction against leaders of the CT Tenants Union chapter organized at the Bay Point Apartments in Niantic..

The previous week private-equity landlord Alpha Capital issued lease violations and cease & desist orders to six residents of the Bay Point Apartments, two CTTU leaders, and the director of the local Center for Housing Opportunity, accusing them all of “disruptive conduct” amidst the tenants’ months-long battle to resist displacement from their homes. 

These escalations against tenants come amid the ongoing condo conversion plans first announced by Alpha Capital in November 2025. Tenants of Bay Point, many seniors living on a fixed income, have faced months of stress over this renewed threat to their housing stability and affordability.

Despite the intimidation — including from onsite Alpha employees who attempted to bar their guests from the property — union members hosted an exposé event on the sidewalk in front of the complex. They brought elected officials, realtors, and community members inside the building in small groups to witness and discuss tenant concerns, including non-functioning heat, broken appliances, and unsafe common space conditions. 

So far, two condo units hit the market in February, yet neither unit has sold.

Upon receiving notice of Saturday’s tenant-hosted event, maintenance staff rushed to the construction site to remove tape from hallway smoke detectors, remove plastic sheeting that had been adhered to hallway carpets for at least two weeks, clear discarded toilets and bulk refuse from the outdoor waste area, and vacuum debris and potentially hazardous materials from hallways and common areas. 

Representative Gauthier, who an Alpha employee attempted to prohibit from speaking with tenants in the building hallway, said:  “Alpha Capital is abusing Bay Point residents and trying to create oppressive living conditions to intimidate residents into leaving. This much is obvious from what I observed during my visit to the homes of the residents of Bay Point Apartments.”

North Hartford Public Safety Summit Builds Community

In response to recent acts of police violence and a growing call for accountability and community driven solutions in Hartford's North End, the North Hartford Public Safety Coalition hosted a North Hartford Public Safety Summit of 150 residents, clergy and community leaders to develop a community-led summer safety plan to build community power.

Leading up to the summit, residents have successfully pushed for a citywide town hall and administrative action.

“This moment has shown us that when our community organizes, our voices can lead to real outcomes,” said Rev. AJ Johnson, Director of Neighborhood Organizing at the Center for Leadership and Justice and leader in the North Hartford Public Safety Coalition. “Now we must move from pressure to power by building the systems, relationships, and strategies that create lasting safety in our neighborhoods.”

The summit built on several years of organizing.

A panel of nine speakers.discussed collaboration and holding the city, state, and federal government accountable for the funds needed in the community.  While the focus was violence prevention, the discussion focused on building community and power. 

"There is energy in organizing; there is power in organizing. We knocked on doors, we listened, and we learned.” said community organizer Kelvin Lovejoy, asking “why did the federal government shut down the Federal Department of Violence Prevention while taking this country to war?”

Discussion included a call to strengthen the Police Accountability Review Board, and police training in mental health care .

Constanza Segovia who leads Hartford Departation Defense, called separating families a kind of violence that creates fear and trauma in children and affects all communities. 

“Community power is our destination, our collective voice. Real power leads to lasting change. “ said neighborhood leader Melinda Johnson.

Building that power is reflected in The Summer Safety Plan emerging from the summit including  expanding youth opportunities for employment, leadership development, and daily structured programming; addressing trauma and mental health. supporting families needs for jobs, childcare, and wraparound services, and activating safe spaces, including schools, churches, and community hubs. Opportunities for residents to get involved will be organized in the coming weeks.

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Workers Tell Gov. Lamont: Tax the Rich to Fund Connecticut

“Tax the rich to fund Connecticut” was the message at the State Capitol on April 15 Tax Day as over 1500 postcards from voters in towns across the state were delivered to Governor Lamont with hand written messages demanding a fairer tax system put forward in the Stand Up CT Agenda..

A march to the Governor's office led by billionaire impersonaters in top hats, followed the press conference and public action on the State Capitol front lawn. Led by the Connecticut for All coalition, the action included healthcare workers, union members, students, small business owners and teachers who came together to bring their message to the Governor and State Legislative leaders. 

Alicia Hernandez Strong, a fourth grade teacher from New Britain, expressed frustration with a system that does not allocate enough money for schools while the ultra wealthy pay a much smaller percentage of their income in taxes than she does, starving community needs.

A new report released today by Connecticut for All Coalition and Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) shows that the collective fortune of Connecticut’s 17 billionaires has grown by $24.7 billion, or 34%. Connecticut has one of the most regressive tax systems in New England. Last week Maine passed a millionaires tax, and Rhode Island is expected to pass one later this year. Massachusetts has had a millionaires tax in effect since 2024.

“This year all but the richest people in Connecticut will pay higher taxes and receive fewer services for their hard-earned tax dollars because Donald Trump and Republicans put billionaires over families – and because CT state leaders choose to protect the bank accounts of a few ultra wealthy individuals and corporations at the expense of everyone else,” said CT Working Families Power State Director and Connecticut For All Legislative Co-Chair Sarah Ganong.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” she said. “We can choose a fairer tax system, guaranteeing that the richest one percent will pay more to fund our public schools, colleges, roads, bridges, and public transit – without the other 99% having to pay a penny more. We need Governor Lamont and Connecticut leaders to make that choice, loudly and publicly, right now.” .

Amir, a working class student shared his story of trying to meet expenses while studying at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) wihile experiencing rising prices and low wages.

“Connecticut can have a better system. Let me put that another way: Governor Lamont and Connecticut leaders can choose a fairer tax system,” said SEIU 4C’s president Seth Freeman. “We can choose a Connecticut where everyone is guaranteed the basics: a home you can afford, health care you can rely on, low cost childcare when and where you need it, quality public schools in every neighborhood, and much more.”.

But here’s the good news,” said Freeman. “There are way more of us than there are of them. When ordinary people like us unite across our differences, we’re unstoppable. We can win a Connecticut that works for all of us.”

The Stand Up CT Agenda includes “a fairer tax system by making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share, a state budget that uses funds to protect families and public services from Trump cuts, protections against ICE violence, and adopting a basic public health plan option.

“Governor Lamont and Connecticut leadership have the power to pass a fairer system this year,” said Lauren Anderson, a small business owner in New Haven. “It’s on the table, they just need to vote for it. So I’m here telling them: on behalf of small business owners across the state, we need you to show up for us now. You invoke our names in your press conferences. You say you stand with us. Now’s the time to show it. If everyone paid their fair share — including the biggest corporations and the wealthiest people in Connecticut — we could invest in the foundation that small businesses depend on: healthy workers, strong communities, and customers who can afford to spend. Right now, it feels like the system rewards size and power, not hard work. That’s not good for small businesses. And it’s not good for Connecticut.”

State Representative Jason Doucette who represents Manchester and Glastonbury, also shared remarks as the chair of the Tax Equity Caucus.

The press conference also featured members and Leaders from the Connecticut For All coalition, including: Connecticut Working Families Power, CT Students for a Dream, Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans, SEIU Local 1973 The 4Cs, Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance, Hartford Federation of Teachers, Husky for Immigrants Coalition, UCONN and CSU American Association of University Professors, AFT Connecticut, Comunidades Sin Fronteras, New Haven Federation of Teachers, New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, New Haven Peoples Center and more.

May Day Rallies to Build Working Class Unity

Organizing is underway by labor, community, immigrant rights and peace organizations for powerful actions on May Day on Friday May 1 in New Haven in the afternoon and Hartford in the morning demanding “workers over billionaires” and “ICE out” Some will participate in the “No School, No Work, No Shopping” movement inspired by the resistance to ICE in Minnesota earlier this year.

Then, on Saturday May 2 the CT People's World will host its annual May Day Celebration and Rally featuring a slide show of May Day Around the World showing how workers are rising up for equality and peace across the globe on International Workers Day. Themed “Working Class Unity – from the streets to the polls” it will be held at 267 Chapel Street at 6 pm with refreshments provided. Contributions will be accepted for the People's World fund drive.

Leading up to the May Day rallies, a major all union Unite Here “We Can't Keep Up” contract rally will be held on April 23 at 5 pm starting at 425 College Street in support of Locals 34 and 35 at Yale in contract negotiations with Yale University. With a $4 billion endowment that earns more every minute, the claims of the University that they are in hard economic times ring hollow, while workers rent, mortgage, food and gas prices continue to rise.

The call to the May Day rallies in New Haven and Hartford on May 1 focuses on “Connecticut's billionaire class” and the demands of labor and community at the state legislature to protect against ICE, protect the rights to housing, health care and public education, and in New Haven to make Yale pay their fair share. As well, opposition to Trump's wars and robbing funds for military instead of human needs will be highlighted.

“The state budget crisis, the contract fight, the decimation of Medicaid and SNAP, the housing crisis, and the raids on immigrant workers are not different problems,” says the call to the rallies. “That's ONE billionaire class keeping workers divided, underpaid, overwhelmed, and scared in order to grow their power and wealth.”

Fast-Food Service Plaza Workers Ratify Landmark Union Contract

MILFORD, Conn. - Last Friday morning, 32BJ SEIU announced that food service workers across Connecticut’s 23 service plazas voted overwhelmingly in favor of their first-ever union contract, which will include strong wages, improved time-off and scheduling, and other enhanced benefits. The contract will cover food service workers from various franchises on Route 15, I-95, and I-39. It is one of the first agreements of its kind in the fast-food industry – marking a historic milestone for the labor movement nationwide.  

“This is a watershed moment for everyone involved – from the workers, to our staff, to Connecticut workers and the labor movement as a whole,” said Rochelle Palache, Vice President and Connecticut State Director. “Over half a decade after starting this campaign, it feels so rewarding to finally see this through and achieve these guaranteed rights and benefits for the people who keep our highways serviced and fed. We couldn’t have accomplished this without the tenacity and hard work that our workers gave in keeping this campaign going for so long – this win, most of all, is from them and for them.” 

McDonald’s and other major fast food companies at the service plazas subcontract with Project Services, LLC, which has been acquired by Applegreen and contracts directly with the State of Connecticut to operate on state-owned land.

Over decades, despite their billions in sales, McDonald’s and the other fast food companies have not followed Connecticut law regarding paid sick time and the standard wage. The combination of low wages and lack of sick time forced workers to come to work sick so as to not fall deeper into poverty.

During the pandemic, many workers who had been organizing with 32BJ SEIU for better working conditions lost their jobs. Cooks and cashiers who continued working reported a lack of adequate protection, and the absence of any disinfection of the stores where workers have become sick.

The long battle for union rights included many solidarity expressions of public support for the food service workers including rallies at the highway rest stops, pressure on Governor Lamont, and a car caravan during the pandemic when the companies were not resp;responsive to workers' healthcare needs.

In 2023 Attorney General William Tong sued Project Service for $2.7 million in back wages, owed to the workers, many of whom are immigrant workers. The court case was won and in November, 2025 the owner was ordered to pay workers $1.5 million in owed wages. When hundreds of workers at 23 service plazas on I-95, I-395 and Route 14 voted to join the union in December, 2025 the company agreed to negotiate a contract.

Governor Ned Lamont hailed the historic contract recognizing that “service plaza workers work hard to provide for their families, contribute to their communities, and are always there for those traveling our highways. They deserve good pay and benefits. This first contract, which recognizes the important work they provide.” 

On the evening of Thursday, March 12, 32BJ SEIU reached an agreement with Applegreen USA Travel Plazas Central Services, the main service plaza employer in Connecticut, on the inaugural contract covering hundreds of food service employees across the state’s 23 food service plazas. The contract will span from April 1, 2026 to March 1, 2031. 

Under the terms of their contract, service plaza workers will have: predictable schedules and consistent hours, just cause and grievance and arbitration process, strong vacation accruals, improved training opportunities, strong wages under the Connecticut Standard Wage Law 

In November of last year, 32BJ SEIU and the main service plaza reached an agreement—over six years after the initial kick-off of their campaign—to grant workers a fair path to unionization, which they voted overwhelmingly to do in December. Bargaining committee members from 32BJ, comprised of workers from various franchises across the service plazas, began negotiations with Applegreen in late January of this year. 

Beginning in 2019, many service plaza workers brought forward complaints against several employers outlining a pattern of noncompliance, including allegations of wages below the legal standard, unsafe working conditions, and failure to provide adequate benefits. Applegreen agreed to pay workers the standard wage in Connecticut in their November settlement with the State Attorney General’s office and agreement with the union, resulting in higher pay, which has been reflected in their paychecks since. 

“It’s been a long time coming for food service workers to get the respect and the treatment we deserve,” said Nika Hyde, a bargaining committee member and employee at Auntie Anne’s at the Madison Southbound service plaza. “It is an honor to help my fellow Connecticut food service employees, who work so hard, have a dignified standard of living without constant struggle.” 

No Kings Protesters Choose Human Needs Not War!

The crowds in Connecticut for No Kings III were larger and more diverse. More families and young people came out, wanting to have a voice against the illegal war on Iran, ICE raids and soaring billionaire profits while families struggle to make ends meet.

At the No Kings III rally on the New Haven Green the Greater New Haven Peace Council placed a banner on two tables with a large bar graph showing where this administration has allocated tax dollars. The bar for war and weapons towered above all the others.

Each person who came by the table was asked to put their initials in the column where they would like their money to be spent. A stream of people were eager to sign. Given an opportunity to tell their Congressmembers where they want their taxes to go they chose YES to Health. Education. Agriculture. Clean Water. And NO to War and Weapons.

The chart showed the 2026 US federal budget. The bars indicated the amounts of money federal government departments get. Each person was asked to write their initials above three departments where they’d like their taxes to go. A petition to stop the wars and stop funding the wars was made available addressed to the Connecticut Congressional delegation.

There was plenty of discussion at that table. The very diverse crowd preferred to put their taxes into • Agriculture, • Commerce, Justice and Science, • Energy and Clean Water, • Interior and Environment, • Health, Education and Labor, and • Transporation, Housing and Urban Development by an infinite amount over the Weapons and War of the Pentagon (zero votes).

When the march through New Haven began, the bar chart became a banner in the march.

Demand Grows to Tax the Rich in CT

Working class families across Connecticut are facing economic crisis from the Trump / MAGA cuts in healthcare and human services, being imposed so the ultra wealthy can get even more tax cuts.

The demand is being placed on the state legislature and Governor to secure that $1 billion for the public good and enable people's needs to be met.

Hundreds of working people, students and immigrant communities have been making their voices heard at the state capitol this session in support of the Fair Share Stand Up Connecticut Agenda of Connecticut for All demanding action to end the extreme inequalities in this state.

Those demands will also be present at the 50 No Kings III rallies in Connecticut.

The Fair Share Agenda is focused on securing $1 billion to cover the cuts inflicted by the Trump administration in the coming year, and then to democratize the tax structure ongoing so the ultra wealthy pay their fair share.

The coalition is also demanding an increase in protections for immigrant communities by establishing protected sites where ICE cannot enter including schools, hospitals and places of worship.

This movement in Connecticut is not alone. A national Take On Wall St coalition of labor and community groups is organizing in states across the country.

The Tax Wall St campaign emphasizes that, “As Trump and congressional Republicans slash federal funding, states are increasingly the last line of defense for working people. The lesson is clear: fair taxes curb concentrations of wealth, fund services we all rely on, and strengthen democracy itself.”.

They cite Connecticut as an example of the growing movement:

“In Connecticut, unions for public employees, nurses, and educators have joined with community groups to press lawmakers to raise taxes on millionaires and reform capital gains taxation. Advocates are calling for new revenues to strengthen public schools, expand health care access, invest in aging infrastructure, and provide real property tax relief for working families.”

Organizing is increasing to demand the legislature and Governor respond to the emergency facing the majority of people in our state and act before the end of session in May.

State Workers Demand Fair Contracts and Public Services

 

Nearly 600 state workers from across Connecticut gathered at the Legislative Office Building last week with a blunt message for Governor Lamont and his agency chiefs: stop delaying fair contracts and start investing in the public workforce that deliver “The Connecticut Difference.”

Representing workers across 35 bargaining units in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC), speakers said Connecticut cannot keep promising strong public services while failing to fully fund and support the people who deliver them every day. They committed to securing fair and honorable contracts for the full workforce to deliver the services all residents depend on. 

From public colleges and universities to public health labs and environmental agencies, workers said the state’s delays and under investment are making it harder to recruit and retain staff, putting essential public services at risk.

Speakers said when politicians in Washington, DC shut down, elected leaders in Connecticut must step up, stressing that fair contracts are not only a labor issue; they are a public issue.

“As a teacher in the state’s career technical education system, I see ‘The Connecticut Difference’ we make in our students’ lives every single day,” said Makenzi Hurtado, president of the State Vocational Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 4200A. “But that difference does not sustain itself. The state must recruit, retain, and reinvest in the workforce that serves the public.”

Terrell Thigpen, a third-year student at Central Connecticut State University, said students are paying the price for the state’s failure to invest at the level public higher education needs.

“Students are told education matters,” said Thigpen. “But I went from a high school that couldn’t afford books to an underfunded state university that refuses to support its staff. If Connecticut is serious about opportunity, it has to invest in the people and institutions that make that opportunity real.”

Healthcare workers expressed frustration with the toll lack of staffing takes.  Saleena White, a Child Services Worker said “Being mandated to work back-to-back shifts, facing exhaustion leads to staff calling out and even quitting their job, sometimes on a weekly basis.”

Youth Voices Stress Collective Unity and Organizing at 52nd Black History Month Event

By Jahmal Henderson

The historic People’s Center was filled to capacity during the 52nd annual People’s World Black History Month event. Youth and community members gathered to honor the theme: “DEFEND CIVIL RIGHTS! Unity in the Fight for Our Future” 

As guests arrived, they were greeted by the recording of Paul Robeson's historic performance at Carnegie Hall in 1958.  Host Mary Thigpen said that during the Jim Crow era, when Black history was deliberately excluded from school curriculums, historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week in February 1926, later expanded into Black History Month.

In tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, she recalled the ten day “Rebuild America Keep Hope Alive” march across Connecticut in August 1991, beginning at Bridgeport East End’s “Mount Trashmore” and ending at the state capitol in Hartford with more than 2,000 people.

This year’s arts and writing competition for grades 8 through 12 showcased a wide range of impressive submissions of poetry, art, and essay which drew connections between the 65^th anniversary of the freedom rides and today’s fight against fascism and for civil rights along with honoring the brave legacy of Paul Robeson, acclaimed artist and activist who risked everything to advance racial justice, civil liberties and peace.. Every participant received a certificate and copy of Paul Robeson’s book  "Here I Stand".

First place artwork “Turn the Volume Up” by Emilia DiPippo from Wilbur Cross High School explores how the civil rights movement shaped her identity and the life she is able to lead today.

Jaylee Pimental of Wilbur Cross High School's first place essay titled “Freedom Was Earned, Not Given,” explained that the civil rights movement was about far more than changing laws. Ordinary people marched, protested, and risked everything because they were tired of being treated unfairly due to their skin color. She emphasized “Justice is not just for one group, its for everyone".

Diana Robles from High School in the Community delivered her poem “When We Fight We Win,” while Japhet Gonzalez performed “17,” a heartfelt dedication to the young freedom fighters of the 1960s whose sacrifices fuel his commitment to activism.

Sound School student Journey Rosa earned the first-place poetry award with her powerful piece “Inheritance is a Verb.” that concludes “progress is not permanent unless we make it so.”

An 8th grade student shared his essay about the terrifying story of a young family member that witnessed his parents being taken away by ICE. The story exposed the trauma that many immigrant families are facing. The story concluded, "It’s so unfair to see how families are torn apart, and especially by a leader that doesn’t even know about history. Most of America was built off of immigrants, and getting rid of those immigrants is like removing the legs of a chair.”

The ceremony then shifted to a youth panel discussion moderated by Arita Acharya, Secretary Treasurer of Unite Here Local 33 . The conversation brought together two high school students, Brandon Daley of Metropolitan Business Academy and the Citywide Youth Coalition, and Melody Yunga of Wilbur Cross High School and CT Students for a Dream. They reflected on their activism in today's fight for equality where youth activism is being attacked by MAGA.

Daley spoke of organizing students to testify before the education committee at the state capitol for an increase in public school funding. Yunga called for participation in a public hearing before the Judiciary Committee to expand protections for immigrant communities from the undemocratic terror being perpetrated by ICE around the country.

Acharya raised demands that Yale University, with its 40 billion endowment, give transformative funding to meet needs of public education, good jobs and housing in the largely Black and Latino City of New Haven.

Stephanie Deceus led the People’s World fund appeal, highlighting the daily news platform’s importance to the labor-led people’s movement and the need for continued support to keep it thriving. $2,000 was raised.

Eric Brooks, the evening’s special guest speaker was introduced by Connecticut CPUSA organizer Jahmal Henderson. Brooks addressed the current climate in the country, emphasizing the continued fight for democracy and freedom for Black communities. He referenced 1619 to draw attention to the nation’s origins in slavery and the lasting impact of racial inequality today.  

He also spoke about MAGAS rollback of key civil rights protections, stressing that recent executive orders, including the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies.  

Throughout his remarks, he underscored the urgency of mobilizing against policies viewed as harmful to minority communities, civil rights, and democratic rights. Eric also stressed that the resistance will require grassroots organizing, collective unity, and  political engagement in order to achieve real, lasting change in this country.

As the festivities concluded, participants gathered in a drum circle, where both attendees and youth played powerful rhythms symbolizing unity and strength. 

Hundreds Demand Protections for Immigrant Communities

Hundreds of students, educators, advocates and clergy testified for 11 hours before the Judiciary Committee of the State Legislature in support of bills to establish protective areas including places of worship, medical facilities, schools and playgrounds, where law enforcement including ICE would be barred from carrying out arrests without a judicial warrant signed by a judge.

Examples of ICE terrorizing communities in Minnesota and other states were cited as the reason state protections are needed, in case such federal actions were unleashed in Connecticut.

The measures would enhance the existing Connecticut Trust Act and establish policy at the state level that was erased at the national level under the Trump Department of Homeland Security.

Many young people described how hard it is to live in constant fear of being kidnapped without reason. Teachers told of students afraid to come to school not knowing if they or their parents would be taken away. Experiences of missing important medical appointments were shared.

Along with Connecticut Students for a Dream (C4D) and Husky 4 Immigrants, the entire Connecticut for All coalition organized testimonies including SEIU, AFT, Make the Road and ACLU.

Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Gary Winfield conducted the hearing, inviting questions from his colleagues after each speaker. Republican lawmakers challenged the testimonies claiming these policies would protect criminals. Speakers emphasized that the bill is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of all residents in the current national climate.

Recalling her family's experience of being hounded and discriminated against during the 1950s McCarthyite repression, Joelle Fishman, representing the CT Communist Party USA, recounted working in the civil rights movement to end lynchings and terror against African American people. Asking “Are we going to defend and expand civil rights for all? Or are we going to go down the path of repression and fascism with all the harmful lived consequences for our communities, state and nation?” she called upon the Judiciary Committee to pass the bills and play its role.

Accountability language was urged so anyone wrongfully detained in protected locations could challenge that detention and seek relief.

Students Testify for Education Funding

Public school students and their teachers from eleven municipalities traveled to Hartford on Wednesday to testify before the Education Committee of the State Legislature about the dire need to increase the school funding formula.

Three busloads carrying 117 students from schools across New Haven were accompanied by Mayor Justin Elicker.

“It's a packed house of union members, educators, students, coalition partners, elected officials and faith leaders at the CT State Legislative Zoffice Building to protect our kids and fix the formula,” reported NHFT President Leslie Blatteau. “On this March 4, in partnership with the American federation of Teachers and AFT Connecticut locals across the state and country, we demand Fully and Fairly Funded Schools NOW.”

“The state per pupil ECS funding foundation amount has not increased since 2013. Want to know what has increased over the last 13 years? EVERYTHING ELSE,” said art teacher Melody Gallagher. “It is time for the state of CT to fix the ECS formula. As costs for services, supplies and everything else has gone up, this flat funding has translated into underfunding.”

In solidarity with the delegation testifying at the state capitol, classroom teachers in New Haven are wearing FIX THE FORMULA stickers.

Teachers and students were joined by organizations in the Connecticut for All coalition who testified in support of SB 7 for increased public school funding. to ensure the needs of students in the state are met. Speakers declared, “Now is the time to Fix the Formula - specifically the Foundation Aid amount of $11,525, which has remained the same since 2013.”

Had the formula’s foundation kept pace with inflation, it would be approximately $16,000 per student today. Legislators were urged to increase the foundation aid amount to $16,525 in Fiscal Year 2027 and then index it to inflation moving forward. 

Testimonies called for the ultra wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share to make it possible to deliver on the promise of public education for all of Connecticut's children.

Court Victory Protects Captive Audience Law

A major court victory for workers was won last week upholding Connecticut's “captive audience” law that protects workers against employer intimidation when organizing into unions. A federal district court judge dismissed the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s challenge to the law.

“This federal court decision is a major victory for working people across Connecticut” said Connecticut AFL-CIO president Ed Hawthorne.

“This law ensures that workers can make their own decisions about forming a union without fear of employer intimidation and harassment. Far too often, when workers attempt to form a union, management used to be able to force workers to attend closed-door captive audience meetings where they would frequently threaten business closures, wage cuts, layoffs, and more,” he said, adding “No employer should be able to force a worker to attend a meeting to coerce their opinions on religion, politics, or union organizing. And no worker should fear retaliation simply for exercising their right to join a union.

Hawthorne appreciated the work of Attorney General William Tong “for standing up to powerful business interests and defending workers from being forced into captive audience meetings. As worker protections are eroded at the federal level, it's critical to have a champion for working people.”

After years of organizing by the labor movement, in 2022 the State Legislature enacted the bill giving workers the right to leave employer mandated meetings and return to work when the subject is about an employer’s politics, religion or union organizing.

CBIA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a federal lawsuit challenging the statute.

U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley dismissed the case last week, finding that CBIA's First Amendment rights to speak to its employees are not impacted by the law.

“Workers should not be forced to listen to their employer’s religious or political views—including anti-union rhetoric. Connecticut’s captive audience statute is both lawful and necessary, and the Office of the Attorney General will continue to defend the state’s ability to protect workers’ rights,” said Tong, greeting the decision.

"A train wreck for public higher education”: Students and workers demand Connecticut fund its colleges

Students, faculty, and campus workers gathered at the state Capitol this week under the banner of Fund Our Dreams, calling on lawmakers to reject Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed higher education budget and make real investments in Connecticut’s public colleges and universities.

In a press conference at the Legislative Office Building as lawmakers begin deliberations this session, speakers were flanked by supporters holding signs “Gov. Lamont Failing Our Students – Fund Higher Education.”

Speaker after speaker warned that years of underfunding have created a crisis across the state’s higher education system — from community colleges to state universities and UConn — harming students, workers, and the broader economy.

Lisa Calabrese. the campus enrollment supervisor at Connecticut State Naugatuck Valley, and leader in the 4Cs union, said “Governor Lamont is a train wreck for our public higher education institutions: Connecticut colleges, Charter Oak State College, our four state universities, UConn, and UConn Health.”

“There has been a ripple effect on our workforce, our economy, and our state,” she added. “Faculty, staff, and students oppose Governor Lamont’s proposed budget for CSCU, UConn, and UConn Health because it fails to make the necessary investments in our institutions, our students, and our state.”

Students described campuses pushed past capacity, where lack of funding is happening while enrollment is rising, harming educational quality and student well-being.

Heritha Subramanian. Student body vice president at the University of Connecticut, Storrs said. “It is no secret that education in Connecticut is overwhelmed and underfunded.”

As state and federal funding has declined, she explained, UConn has increased enrollment and recruitment to compensate. “Unfortunately, our school does not have the resources to meet the needs of our students.”

“I often hear from students who have never met with their advisor because it is difficult to get a hold of them,” she said. “At UConn, advisors have caseloads of up to 655 students per advisor, while the national average for four-year institutions is 286.”

The consequences affect classroom learning. “Higher enrollment levels have led tolarger class sizes, and it is clear this is burdensome for everyone involved,” Subramanian said. “Faculty are being asked to do too much with too little time and too little assistance, while students fade and disengage — becoming one of hundreds rather than being supported to succeed.”

Cynthia Stretch, a union leader and professor at Southern Connecticut State University, said "endless cuts" to part-time faculty have resulted in slashing the course options available to students.

Organizers testified that Connecticut’s higher education crisis is not inevitable, calling it the result of political decisions that prioritize tax breaks and austerity over public investment.

“Public higher education is a public good,” speakers said. “When we underfund it, we deepen inequality, weaken our workforce, and undermine democracy itself.”

"Connecticut has the resources to do better. What we need is the political will." said Valerie Duffy, a professor at UConn and president of Uconn-AAUP. "The strain on higher education is not a failure of our students or our faculty and staff. It is a result of policy choices,"

The Fund Our Dreams coalition is calling on legislators to: increase base funding for public higher education, stop tuition and fee hikes, restore faculty and staff positions and invest in advising, mental health, and student support services

As budget negotiations continue at the Capitol, organizers made clear they are not backing down.

“This is about our future,” one speaker said. “And we are here to demand that Connecticut fund our dreams — not dismantle them.”

The demand to “Fund Our Dream” is part of the Stand Up Connecticut legislative agenda of the Connecticut for All coalition. At a February 7 press conference, The 4 C's community college union president Seth Freeman said, “We are here to demand that Governor Lamont and every elected state legislator STAND-UP, meet the moment, and protect the residents and families of Connecticut. We are here to demand that elected leaders fight for working-class families and fight against the Trump billionaire agenda.”

Expand Just Cause Eviction Protections

Leaders from Connecticut’s tenant movement including 44 organizations, and the co-chairs of the state legislature's Housing Committee Sen. Martha Marx and Rep. Antonio Felipe, launched a campaign to expand Just Cause eviction protection at a Capitol press conference. The message was clear: we want Just Cause now. 

Speakers described their experiences, data on the state’s housing crisis, the potential impact of Just Cause on mitigating that crisis, the content of this year’s bill, and the political conditions shaping the campaign. 

Just Cause requires landlords to provide a justification for an eviction — grounds for which are listed in state law — and protects tenants without a lease or who are month-to-month from being asked to move out or evicted for no reason. 

For over 40 years, Connecticut has had Just Cause eviction protections for tenants who are 62 and over or who are disabled and live in complexes with five or more units. However, most renters are not covered, and landlords can refusing to renew a lease or file an eviction without justification, even if the tenant pays rent on time and does everything “right.”

The existing law has provided greater housing stability for the most vulnerable populations, and tenants are asking the state to expand those protections. 

The problems facing tenants in Connecticut are dire: over 15,759 Connecticut households have been evicted without cause between 2017 and 2024.  One in 20 renter households now face eviction, and Connecticut has some of the highest eviction rates in the country, disproportionately impacting Black and Latino tenants.

Expanding Just Cause would prevent an estimated 11% of eviction filings and countless forced moves. Just Cause does not impact other for-cause grounds for eviction including, for example, nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or nuisance. Just Cause protects tenants from landlords who use no-fault evictions to gentrify complexes — eroding existing affordable housing — or to intimidate, retaliate, or discriminate against tenants. It is a cost-free, effective solution to help create safe, stable, and affordable housing by preventing displacement and housing insecurity, said the coalition.