Connecticut Unions Pledge Solidarity and Voter Turnout

“Connecticut is on the move!” exclaimed Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO to applause as she greeted union members at the Connecticut AFL-CIO Biennial Political Convention in New Haven. “I wanted to come to say thank you.”

The convention, themed “Strong Unions, Stronger Democracy,” was held at the Omni Hotel where Unite Here Local 217 workers successfully went on strike last year demanding respect, wage increases and job security.

“We need solidarity now more than ever,” Shuler emphasized. “The Omni makes billions while the workers can't afford rent.”

Other struggles in Connecticut last year that Shuler highlighted as “paving the way” for the country, included the strike by Machinists at Pratt and Whitney and new union organizing for workers in higher education, food service, healthcare, hospitality and more. As well, legislative victories for immigrant rights and workers rights were recognized in the context of standing up to the attacks by the Trump administration.

Focusing on the biggest contract fight now underway by Unite Here Locals 34 and 35 at Yale University, Shuler electrified the delegates when she said to applause, “I want you to know that all 15 million union members of the AFL CIO across the country have your backs.”

“Yale's $44 billion endowment is bigger than countries, while workers can't afford the cost of living,” she said.

More details came to the convention floor later that day when Lisa Stevens, president of Unite Here Local 34 clerical and technical workers, addressed the delegates.

Introduced by Jess Corbett, president of the Western Area Labor Federation, as his first co-worker when he got a job at Yale, Stevens said her union has been in contract negotiations with Yale University for ten months for fair wages, job security and the ability to retire in dignity.

However, she said, the union's proposals have been “shot down.” Instead, the administration has put takeaways on the table. “We are fighting for what we deserve. They don't care that people are hurting. Shame on Yale,” she declared as the delegates picked up the chant.

“Without our work the University would not be what it is today,” said Stevens. “It's a hard fight, but when we fight we win.”

Also keynoting the convention was Brian Bryant, international president of the Machinists Union. He thanked the delegates for their solidarity during the successful month long strike at Pratt and Whitney last year.

“We're not going to allow corporate greed to determine the future of workers,” he said to applause. “We won for every working family in the state of Connecticut and the country,” he added. “When workers strike and win everybody benefits.”

Both Bryant and Shuler, along with CT AFL CIO president Ed Hawthorne, issued resounding calls for every member to be engaged in the upcoming elections.

Warning against attempts to divide workers against each other by race, nationality or other means, Bryant declared that “when we stand together it changes everything.”

Emphasizing the significance of workers standing up for workers under attack, he said,

“We all have immigrant members in our union, and are disgusted how they are being treated.” As he acknowledged the strong union commitment of many undocumented members, Bryant received a standing ovation.

“There is no fight that we cannot win when we fight together,” he concluded.

The AFL CIO has set high goals nationally to organize two million unorganized workers, engage 15 million members in the midterm elections to change control of the US House and Senate, and 50,000 members trained as election protectors against threats to illegally interfere in the election.

The convention centered around endorsements of pro-worker candidates for federal and state office. Candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Comptroller and Attorney General addressed the convention followed by brief question and answer sessions. Candidates for State Senate and State House were interviewed in advance of the convention. Endorsement recommendations were brought to the floor with the goal of increasing the number of worker friendly members of the General Assembly.

Leading up to the August 11 primary, and continuing to the November 3 general election, the Labor 2026 program will include knocking on the doors of fellow union members and their families to discuss the issues and how the candidates compare. Phone calls and worksite leaflets will also be done.

A special recognition was given to State Senator Martin Looney upon his retirement. Fifteen unions presented him with honorary memberships for his lifelong leadership on issues concerning working people and union rights.

The convention included resolutions, panels, workshops and reports around the convention theme of increasing worker power to secure and expand democracy.

Many speakers addressed the demand that workers must be at the table when decisions about the new AI economy are made in order to protect jobs and workers' rights.

Renter Protections Advance in New London

Members of the New London City Council and of the New London-based chapters of the Connecticut Tenants Unio (CTTU) co-hosted a press conference last week announcing their coordinated push for stronger renter protections and housing quality standards in the city.

Members of the CTTU New London Alpha Capital Division stood on the steps of the New London City Hall alongside union brothers and sisters, local elected officials, and community allies.

This event marked a crucial step in the fight for extended tenant protections. City officials announced proposed municipal legislation to establish a landlord licensing program.

This policy would establish an accessible landlord database, democratizing information that is necessary for both current and potential tenants. This legislation would also require New London city inspectors to proactively examine housing for safety and health concerns, ensuring the wellbeing of New Londoners across the city - and pairing those inspections with real enforcement.

New London tenant union members shared their experiences with housing code issues and landlord accountability.

The Connecticut Tenants Union presented proposals for reform, drawing from best practices in other Connecticut municipalities and from ongoing discussions with New London Mayor Passero and his staff.

"We're not here to make excuses, to ask you to compromise, or to say 'just give us some more time.' said New London City Councilor Shineika Fareus as she described their plan for passing and implementing the policy. “We're here to show there is work being done - and if it's not getting done, then we are to be held accountable."

“This is a win in our fight towards democracy, the tenant movement, and housing justice,” said CTTU in a thank you to New London City Council allies Shineika Fareus, Jeff Hart, and Akil Peck and other elected officials and community partners including Hearing Youth Voices.

Making Good Trouble: MIKE RICH

 

By Susan O'Leary

It is a joy to work with Mike Rich on the neighborhood People's World route each week in Fair Haven. Mike has been a member of the Communist Party for many years and recently stepped up his involvement in the current political environment. I've attended several rallies with Mike from advocating immigrant rights to pushing Yale to justly fund their unions.

Mike was born in 1946 to a family that worked the land as sharecroppers. JT Reeves was the former plantation owner in Camden, Alabama. Forced to go to work at an early age to help his family of nine, he was unable to finish high school. He was paid $2 a day for his labor working from 6 am to 6 pm.

Becoming an adolescent in the 1960s, Mike was aware of the Civil Rights Movement and the pressure to fight for rights such as voting and better working compensation. He couldn't understand how his father put up with the treatment he endured to try to support his family.

There was a lot going on around him. John Lewis marched across the Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Martin Luther King was there and dogs were unleashed on them along with police brutality and powerful water hoses. Mike wasn't at that march because his mother warned it was too dangerous.

However things in neighboring Camden were just as disturbing. He had a gun put to his head just by driving past a white woman with friends in a car. Paused for a moment, Mike stepped out of the car and was confronted by a white man with a gun.

His younger brother, able to attend school and gain an education, was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan for advocating for his peers. They knocked him in the head and disposed of his body in a neighboring deep pond. The Ku Klux Klan didn't like young Black men to be educated. His friends that were with him remained silent because they feared retaliation. Mike was 19 when this incident happened. He had already left the area and moved to Syracuse, NY for better working conditions and to flee the dangers in the South. There were other incidents. A neighbor was lynched and accused of rape for talking with a white woman. After hanging the young man they tied his body to a railroad track.

In Syracuse Mike got $2 an hour instead of $2 a day. He came back to Alabama for the legendary march in Selma. After that he went to Florida and worked in a lumber job. After one and a half years he came back to Alabama and started work on the railroad moving throughout the South. From Camden he went to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The pay was decent and he worked primarily with African American men. He worked with the railroad another year and a half.

Next he went to New York to meet up with his younger brother in Harlem. There he worked as a short order cook in a restaurant. He tried having his own restaurant but it was too difficult to juggle all the responsibilities.

After that he worked in the garment district for three years. This was a union job and the pay was lucrative. He was introduced to his future wife Olivia by a co-worler who encouraged him to meet his sister in New Haven. The engagement lasted two years before he settled in New Haven. He got a job at Circuit-Wise and this was when he met Joelle Fishman, Art Perlo and the Communist Party. The workers at Circuit-Wise went on strike for union recognition led by Dorothy Johnson. Joelle and Art walked the picket line. The People's World was distributed weekly. Art gave lessons to understand the class struggle. The strike lasted 19 months before the UE 299 union was established. Mike worked at Circuit-Wise until they relocated to Mexico. After unemployment he started working at a hotel on Long Wharf in New Haven.

Unfortunately Mike lost his wife Olivia from a diabetic coma. They worked together at Circuit-Wise. They had one daughter who had seven children. Mike and Olivia raised his grandson. He has many grandkids now and he is very proud of their achievements. His daughter's twins just graduated from Amistad Academy. His grandson is working on his master's degree. Olivia and Mike helped raise his daughter's children and now he has a great granddaughter named Olivia after his wife.

Mike was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the age of 75 at the Communist Party national convention in 2024 in Chicago. At a recent rally a young girl came up to him and in tears thanked him for all he's done with his active life. We in the Communist Party are blessed that Mike is still with us at the age of 80. It is a pleasure to know and work with him.

Healthcare and Nutrition Help Available

The cuts to basic human needs by the MAGA Republican Congress have created a crisis for many families. Many organizations have called upon the Connecticut state government to fill in the gaps. Here is information about healthcare and nutrition additional programs and funding.

Access Health CT
A special program, Temporary Premium Assistance was created in Connecticut last year to help those who lost all financial assistance for healthcare coverage when federal enhanced Premium Tax Credits expired last year. The program has provided over $1.6 million in savings  for 10,580 Connecticut residents so far.

The Special Enrollment Period will end Tuesday, June 30, and those who qualify are urged to apply including:

• Households with an annual income between 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), who are not already enrolled in the Covered CT Program. will receive a state subsidy to replace 100% of the expired federal enhanced Premium Tax Credit amounts.

• Households with an annual income over 400% and up to 500% of the FPL will receive a state subsidy to replace 50% of the expired federal enhanced Premium Tax Credit amounts. 

To apply visit AccessHealthCT.com and click “Get Help” or call 1-855-805-4325, Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm (available in 100 languages).

ADDITIONAL SNAP FUNDS

$300 grocery assistance cards will be available to approximately 25,000 Connecticut residents who are expected to lose their federal SNAP benefits due to recent federal rule changes.
Individuals who have lost SNAP eligibility as a result of new federal work requirements will receive a one-time grocery assistance card that can be used to purchase food at participating grocery stores. In addition, applicants will be connected with resources and support services to help them regain SNAP eligibility whenever possible.
$8.5 million has been allocated from Connecticut’s Federal Cuts Response Fund for this program to provide immediate relief to residents facing food insecurity while helping families navigate changes to federal benefit programs. As the cost of groceries continues to place pressure on household budgets, this assistance will help ensure that those impacted can continue to access nutritious food and meet their basic needs.

Juneteenth Call to Action: Black Lungs Matter

 

Juneteenth emancipation day from enslavement is being marked across the state with parades, festivals, concerts, lectures and protests for voting rights from Hartford to New Haven to Norwalk and dozens of other towns.

Sierra Club Connecticut hosted Black Lungs Matter, a Juneteenth Press Conference on Thursday at the State Captiol.. Local organizers and community members fighting for clean air and environmental justice highlighted the disproportionate impact of air pollution on Black residents in Connecticut and the policy choices that contribute to this pollution. Speakers also honored African Americans who have paved the way to freedom both from the past and present.

Alycia Jenkins, Sierra Club Connecticut, introduced the event with a call to action. Rep. Maryam Khan spoke as a community ally in support of environmental justice. Sharon Lewis, Connecticut Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice, connected the right to a clean and safe environment with the significance of the Junteenth emancipation day.

Dr. Mark Mitchell, co-chair of the Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council. and chair of the Connecticut Environmental Leadership Collaborative commented on public health and the need for a renewable update of CAS measures of air quality.

At a public hearing in February Mitchell told the State Legislature.“Climate change affects everyone, but those who contributed least to global warming are affected the most,” including many people of color due to historic government and institutional policies including redlining, housing and job discriimination and community disinventment. He said many children are suffering from asthma due to the high rate of air pollution, and that the corporations who created the problem should be required to pay into the climate superfund for alerts and protections.

Many Junteenth events will include voter registration in response to the all-out attack on Black representation and voting rights by the US Supreme Court and in Southern States. National Freedom Summer/Fall mass events are being launched in Atlanta and Harlem with local actions across the country in the coming months.

This year Connecticut expanded voting rights to include “no-excuse” absentee voting so that every voter can choose to vote absentee.