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.”