Tenants Union takes on Alpha Capital in Niantic

Tenants in Niantic at the Bay Point Apartments, formerly known as Windward Village, made history when they announced the formation of the Bay Point Tenant Union, representing 70% of the occupied units at the 60-unit apartment complex. Backed by the Connecticut Tenants Union, they are demanding collective bargaining with their landlord, Tyler Smith of Alpha Capital Funds. They were joined at the announcement by Sen Martha Marx, co-chair of the legislature’s Housing Committee, Rep Nick Menapace, and local supporters.

Tenants formed the union, the first of its kind in southeastern Connecticut. after more than a year of drastic rent hikes and deterioriating conditions since Smith’s takeover in 2024. Many of the residents, elderly longtime renters. were confronted with rent increases of $800 to $1000 a month.

They organized quickly, speaking out at town meetings, writing to legislators, and demanding action. Their pressure led to the establishment of the East Lyme Fair Rent Commission  in late 2024, a town of less then 20,000. With support from Connecticut Legal Aid, Connecticut Fair Housing Center, Step Up New London, New London Homeless Hospitality Center, and the Center for Housing Opportunity in Eastern Connecticut (CHO-EC), tenants brought forward many cases against Alpha.

In response the property was renamed “Bay Point” in 2025, but mold, broken appliances and unusable laundry facilities got worse. “Changing the name doesn’t change the reality,” said one tenant leader. “We are still living with poor conditions, unfair treatment, and rent hikes. That’s why we need a union.”

By forming a union, Bay Point residents are taking collective action to demand a seat at the table with Alpha Capital Funds, stable rents, safe living and accountability in property management.

In 2024, Alpha Capital’s owner, Tyler Smith, faced allegations of orchestrating false testimony at the State Capitol by directing employees to impersonate tenants during a hearing on the proposed Just Cause Eviction tenant protection bill.

Tenant leaders and advocates say this moment is bigger than one building. The Bay Point Tenant Union reflects a growing tenant movement across the state.

“WE CAN’T KEEP UP” 2000 Rally for Good Union Jobs and a Fully Funded City

 

NEW HAVEN—Chanting and holding black and white signs reading “We Can't Keep Up,” and

“One Job Should be Enough,” 2,000 members of UNITE HERE Locals 35, 34, and 33, New Haven Rising, and union and community allies marched to the Yale School of Medicine on Cedar Street.

The extraordinary solidarity set a tone of fight back in the midst of a vicious attack on labor underway from the White House and MAGA.

After meeting up on the New Haven Green in a spirited gathering filled with music, t-shirts and solidarity, the diverse marchers called on Yale University to pay good wages and contribute to New Haven, highlighting how Yale workers and New Haven residents are struggling in the post-pandemic cost of living crisis.

Contract negotiations are currently underway between UNITE HERE Locals 34 and 35 and Yale. Rally attendees called on the university to settle good contracts and contribute more to New Haven looking ahead to next year when its current voluntary contribution agreement in lieu of taxes expires. 

“We fought for a long time to make our jobs good jobs,” said Lisa Stevens, President of Local 34-UNITE HERE. “But what was enough before is not enough anymore. Since the pandemic, the skyrocketing cost of living has caused our members to lose their housing, fall into debt, and even cut back on heat and food,” she said noting “Yale has a $40 billion endowment, and its workers are going to food pantries.”

The rally which packed Cedar Street put up a great cheer when the graduate teachers in Local 33 who won their first contract last year made the dramatic announcement that a majority of post-docs, have now signed union cards, which would add 1400 more union members on campus..

Bob Proto, President of Local 35-UNITE HERE said “Our members are committed to settling a fair contract, supporting post-docs as they form their union, and standing with New Haven urging Yale to pay their fair share.” 

Getting a union job at Yale changed my life said Elidia Lezama, a member of Local 35-UNITE HERE service and maintenance workers. “Before I got a job at Yale, I worked multiple jobs and couldn’t count on regular hours. I had to figure out how to survive through pay periods where I made as little as $25 per week and in other weeks, I had to work so much that I was hardly able to see my kids.”

“Now,” she said, “since the pandemic, many of my co-workers are back to working multiple jobs and struggling to get by.” 

Raven Turquoise-Moon, a longtime member of clerical and technical workers Local 34-UNITE HERE said “I have an education, a job at the city’s largest employer, and yet buying a home in my neighborhood is out of reach.”

“I’m not alone.” she said. “Our members are getting priced out of New Haven because their rents have gone up by $300, $500, $800 dollars – and our wages haven’t caught up. I should be able to continue to do the work that I have done for 19 years to uphold Yale’s mission, a mission that I believe in, and buy a home here.”

Days before, a large picket of food service workers at Southern Connecticut State University, members of UNITE HERE Local 217 called on the subcontractor Sodexo to settle the contract they are neogiating. The night before marching from the Green to Cedar Street, the workers voted 98% in favor of going on strike if they have to.

Nick McDonald, Vice President of Local 217 and a food service worker at SCSU exclaimed “We, the Local 217 members who work at SCSU, CCSU and WCSU, are in the struggle just like our brothers and sisters at Yale. We aren’t going to give up until we get what we need.”

“We don’t want to escalate but we are sending a clear message to Sodexo and the Connecticut state universities: if we don’t get it, shut it down.” he concluded as the rally chanted with him.

The large crowd was inspired by Brandon Daley, a junior at Metropolitan Business Academy, who declared that youth are organizing in New Haven: “We’re fighting for all of us. For classrooms with the resources we deserve. For jobs that let our families thrive, not just survive. For a city where no student has to live in fear. For a future where young people have the opportunities to lead and succeed.” 

The students are supporting their teachers who were in the crowd as the New Haven Federation of Teachers organizes to win it's new contract with the Board of Education. Last year students walked out in support of fully funded schools.

Tonya Ricks, a member of Local 34- UNITE HERE, summed it all up when she said, “I stand before you to let you know: my salary is not keeping up! The price of everything is going up but my check is not making ends meet. We need better pay and we need more union members!” 

Dozens Pedal for Palestine

 

 Dozens of New Haveners cycled and spoke to draw public attention to the catastrophic destruction of life and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank regions of Palestine. The cyclists navigated a 7 mile route through the streets of New Haven. Speakers at 6 stops along the way highlighted the effects on Palestinian civil society in the areas of education, water sovereignty, press freedom and safety, health care, food sovereignty, and access to the sea. At each of the stops, professionals spoke on the effects of apartheid and genocide in their areas of expertise.

The cycling event was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace New Haven.

 

In her remarks, Jewish Voice for Peace member Ellen Rubin said: “Gaza is now the global epicenter of child/family suffering: It has the highest number of orphans, amputees and trauma victims on Earth Over 700 attacks on Health facilities have left more than 96% of Gaza’s hospitals destroyed or damaged

*Healthcare and aid workers have been targeted, killed, detained w/o charge, tortured & even murdered while in prisons”

Tagan Engel and Jamilah Rasheed are two longtime New Haven food and land justice activists who work everyday to protect the fundamental rights of every single human being to have food, clean water, and self determination. They together asked “Can you imagine if 4 times the population of New Haven were literally dying from starvation right now, and all the people in bordering towns had nothing to eat or drink for days on end - all while food and water could easily be brought in from Milford, Cheshire and Branford if the occupying government would allow it?”

The Narrative Project founder and CEO Mercy Quaye spoke to the need for activists to continue speaking truth to counter the silence and misinformation that is so prevalent in American mainstream media in reporting about Palestine.

We call on our members of Congress to sign on to H.R.3565, known as the Stop Arming Israel bill. To date, the legislation has 49 co-sponsors, but none in Connecticut. All of our members must support this critical legislation.

CCAG Demands Health Access be Protected for All

 

If Congress does not act by November 1 to extend enhanced premium tax credits, one third of the people buying insurance on Connecticut's Access Health CT exchange will be forced off, unable to afford health insurance.

At a Hartford press conference with Connecticut Citizens Action Group about HR1, Sen. Richard said the bill, is "Trumpian - cruel and stupid. Cruel in denying people care, and stupid, in making everyone and the system less effective."

"Our entire healthcare system is collapsing under its own weight," said Health Care Advocate Kathleen Holt. When the number of uninsured skyrockets, we will all pay more - and they will resort to emergency rooms for care.

Most of the people whose rates will skyrocket have no idea this is coming, or what is causing it.

"Who can afford these increases?" CCAG's Tom Swan asked. "The very rich people who also got Trump's tax cuts.”

"The cruelty in this bill doesn't just happen in December," he added. "Many of the changes to Medicaid don't go into effect until after the 2026 midterms.

"The Republicans and Donald Trump don't care if people go without care and die....Senator Blumenthal called this policy stupid; I think it's evil. The cruelty is the point. We will do everything in our power to protect access to care for all people."

Medical costs are responsible for most bankruptcies and for people losing their homes, Blumenthal said. "Healthcare costs are rising astronomically, aggravated by the cruel and stupid policies coming out of Washington DC."

CCAG and allies are calling on Governor Lamont and lawmakers to convene a special session of the Legislatione and reject the cruel Trump budget cuts.

Food Service Workers Picket for a Fair Contract and No Strikebreakers on CT State University Campuses

NEW HAVEN, CT—September 17, 2025—Union members and allies rallied on Southern Connecticut State University’s campus to demand a fair contract for Sodexo workers at CT State University campuses. In addition, workers called on university leadership to advocate for a peaceful resolution and forbid all strike-breaking tactics from CT State University campuses.  

At the rally Nicholas McDonald, a food service worker at SCSU, emphasized the hardship he and his co-workers are facing. ““I’ve been talking to my coworkers. We’re all talking about how times are hard and we need a fair contract,” he said. “We’re in this fight and we’re not going to back down, because this is about survival.”

Joshua Stanley, Secretary Treasurer of Local 217, framed the struggle within a broader national conversation about economic inequality. “It is food service workers like those at CCSU and SCSU who are saying enough is enough, we need a fair contract now.” He urged Sodexo to consider the quality of life for its workers.

A huge inflated Scabby the Rat caught students' attention and some took photos after learning about the contract fight of the food service workers who make their meals. Three huge billboards with photos of all the workers were headlined, “We Don't Want to Strike But We Will.”

After rallying in front of Connecticut Hall with union allies, New Haven Rising and elected officials the picket moved across campus for a second rally.

Two hundred and eighty UNITE HERE Local 217 food service workers at SCSU, CCSU, and WCSU have been negotiating a new contract with their employer, Sodexo, since March. The $9 billion multinational company is refusing to meet the workers’ demands of a real living wage and negotiations for a fair contract have stalled.

As a result of these stalled negotiations, hundreds of Local 217 food service workers picketed Sodexo on CCSU’s campus in August to demand a fair contract. Workers and allies sent nearly 1,700 letters to university leadership calling on them to support the workers’ demands for a fair contract. And democratic leaders from around the state reached out to university leadership urging resolution of the labor dispute.

Instead of encouraging a peaceful resolution to the labor dispute on campus, after the August picket university leadership publicly endorsed the company’s “contingency plans” in the event that the company forces the workers out on strike. Endorsing strikebreaking tactics such as the use of replacement workers and meal tickets for outside venues and food trucks encourage a disruptive and wasteful labor conflict instead of resolving it.  

 
Democratic elected officials from around the state have already urged the company to work towards a fair contract and encouraged the university leadership to support the workers.

Governor Ned Lamont and Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz attended the picket at SCSU saying “UNITE HERE has always stood up for workers’ rights, dignity, better wages and benefits at the University of New Haven, the Omni Hotel, the Hyatt and more—and from picket lines to rallies, we’ve fought alongside them.”

The went on to say, “ We support the members of UNITE HERE Local 217, who provide quality food service to our university campuses and ask Sodexo to step up and negotiate in good faith. These workers have kept our campuses running during challenging times, ensured students and faculty had access to food and now are simply asking for living wages that catch up with inflation. Let’s get this deal done.” 

Senate President Pro Temp;ore Martin Looney also joined the picket at SCSU. Standing firm for the rights of the workers he said, “Public universities must never endorse strike-breaking tactics that will protract a dispute that would damage the academic community and divide our campuses. Especially when the dispute is between a multibillion-dollar company and workers who pay taxes that fund the universities and live in the university communities,”  

“The universities need to be clear with Sodexo that the only solution to end this labor crisis is to bargain a fair contract with Local 217.” Looney saaid.

Nick McDonald, a food service worker at Southern said, “I’ve been talking to my coworkers. We're all talking about how times are hard and we need a fair contract. We’re in this fight and we’re not going to back down, because this is about survival.”  

“We are sending two messages today,” said Stanley. “First, we want to get this done, but if the company is not ready to do that, we are setting strike votes. Second, public university leadership in Connecticut must take positions in line with the Democratic Party and basic respect for workers by saying no scabs on campus. Saying yes to plans for strikebreakers is not only going against moral principles, it makes a prolonged labor conflict more likely.”  

As negotiations remain at a deadlock, the food service workers are not backing down. They continue to rally for a contract that provides a living wage and better working conditions, asserting their fight is about survival and economic justice.

SCSU food service employees are scheduled to vote on whether to authorize a strike on September 24, 2025.