Bills to Protect Workers' Right to Unionize and to Expand Paid Sick Days Gain Support

In response to hours of personal testimonies from workers calling for action to improve their lives, the Judiciary and Labor Committees have voted in favor of bills protecting free speech of workers who want to join a union, and expansion of access to paid sick days. The bills will now move forward for consideration by the entire General Assembly.

Thanking the Judiciary Committee for bipartisan approval of legislation protecting workers against intimidation and harassment during union organizing, Connecticut AFL-CIO president Ed Hawthorne said, “Far too often, management forces workers to attend closed-door captive audience meetings where they frequently threaten business closures, wage cuts, layoffs, immigration status, and working conditions if workers vote for a union.”

“No employer should be able to force a worker to attend a meeting to coerce their opinions on religion, politics, or union organizing,” said Hawthorne, adding that Senate Bill 163 “does not limit the employer’s speech. Rather, it only allows a worker to return to work without fear of discipline or termination if the employer holds a meeting about politics or religion.”

Hawthorne paid special thanks to Judiciary Committee co-chairs Senator Gary Winfield and Representative Steve Stafstrom, saying they “heard the pleas from working people and took action.”

Hours of heartfelt testimony before the Labor Committee led them to advance two bills that will expand paid sick days in Connecticut.

“Both bills are critical to how our state continues to respond to and recover from COVID-19.,” said Maddie Granado director of CWEALF (Connecticut Womens' Education and Legal Fund), one of many groups organizing for these measures.

She said, “S.B. 422 provides immediate relief to essential workers in need of paid sick days for COVID-19 related reasons, while S.B. 312 makes much needed and overdue improvements to our existing paid sick days law to protect workers from missing their paychecks when they need time to care for a family member or recover from a short term illness.”

As these pro-worker bills move forward to the General Assembly, supporters are asking constituents to call and write their legislators urging that they vote in favor. Even a few calls can make the difference.