Workers at L & M Hospital Take Contract Fight to the Streets

Lawrence & Memorial Hos­pital health­care work­ers in New London have been trying to negotiate a fair contract since their existing contract expired in October, 2025.

Last week they took to the streets for an all-day informational picket in an effort to press the administration to restart contract negotiations. They are demanding fair staff­ing and living wage pay increases.

Despite being understaffed and overworked, the 900 healthcare workers at L&M go above and beyond every day to provide their patients and the community with the best patient care they can.

Extending man­dat­ory on- call schedul­ing for tech­no­lo­gists and para­med­ics is a key issue. Short staffing has led to missed lunch breaks and frequent overtime shifts. Pay increases and better health coverage are also on the table.

AFT Connecticut represents three local unions at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, now owned by Yale New Haven Health Systems. They include L&M Registered Nurses Local 5049, L&M LPN/Techs Local 5051 and L&M Healthcare Workers Union Local 5123.

Members of Local 5123, talking as they walked, made the case that nurses and members of the other two unions at L&M hospital are underpaid, working conditions are terrible, there’s great turnover leaving more work for the remaining staff, and the hospital requires the workers urgently to come in when it is understaffed.

L&M was unionized at the time it was purchased by Yale Health, which is notoriously anti-union. Contract negotiations are not going well from the union’s point of view. The hospital administration is offering a few cents an hour that wouldn’t even buy a cup of coffee. 

CT AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne brought solidarity from organized labor to the information picket.  

Attorney General William Tong drove two hours from his home in Stamford to support these healthcare workers in New London.

Deputy State Senate majority leader Martha Marx told the crowd that she had worked decades as a nurse and well understood what the nurses and other healthcare workers at L&M were going through. In no uncertain terms she offered to help the workers win a good contract. 

Faculty, Students and Community tell Yale: Say No to Trump

 

Cross Campus was filled with a spirited teach-in and rally of faculty, students, staff and alimni at Yale as the academic year began, offering clear demands to the Yale Corporation and Officers to stop negotiating with the Trump administration over admissions and diversity policies, and instead preserve academic rights.

The point was made repeatedly that the actions Yale University takes will impact universities across the country.

The unprecedented “Democratize Yale” coalition of American Association of University Professors, the Yale College Council, the Yale Endowment Justice Collective, and the Stand Up for Yale alimni group joined together with four specific demands.

“Yale is cracking down on student free speech, negotiation with the DOJ over a baseless admissions investigation and refusing to codify academic freedom, all under the governance of an undemocratic Board of Trustees,” said the coalition in a message to new students. “Right now, you don’t have the same rights that generations of Yalies have enjoyed!”

The first demand is Shared Governance to Democratize Yale.

“Yale must eliminate the successor trustee system, reinstate the alumni petition process for the selection of all future trustees, and open voting to all members of the Yale community: students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Trustee meeting agendas must be published online one week prior to each board meeting, minutes must be made publicly available before the next scheduled meeting, and board meetings must be open to the public, livestreamed online, and include time for public comment.”

The second demand is Free Speech and Assembly to Let Students Speak

“Yale must adopt a new free expression policy presuming noninterference with non-violent direct action, including rallies, sit-ins, teach-ins, protests, and demonstrations. There must be neither requirement of prior registration nor administrative approval for such activities. Yale may intervene in expressive activity only to address an imminent safety threat, material obstruction of access, substantial interference with the actual conduct of classes or other essential University functions, or material prevention of another person or group exercising their free speech rights, in accordance with the Woodward Report; any such restriction must be content- and viewpoint-neutral, narrowly tailored to the specific harm, and no more restrictive than necessary. All time, place, and manner restrictions inconsistent with these principles must be repealed.”

The third demand is Academic Freedom

“Yale must codify a legally binding commitment to academic freedom within the faculty handbook, covering all Yale faculty regardless of rank. This must include freedom of research and publication, teaching, participation in internal governance, and public speech as citizens and public intellectuals. The University must clarify that faculty contracts are with Yale University, not individual departments or programs, and protect schools, departments, and programs from closure or defunding without robust and meaningful faculty consultation. Yale must also empower a committee elected by faculty to hear and decide complaints under the academic freedom policy, and it must guarantee faculty participation in all future Handbook revisions through representative faculty bodies.”

The fourth demand is Yale-DOJ Settlement: Don't Cave. Defend Diversity.

“Yale must exit settlement negotiations with the DOJ and publicly commit to defending its admissions policies in court should the need arise, because those policies are lawful and because recruiting an outstandingly well-qualified student body necessarily includes Black and Latine students.”

Prior to the rally New Haven Rising director Rev. Scott Marks issued a similar demand. “It is from our orientation towards partnership that we join many across the region, country, and world in expression our disappointment with the University’s unwillingness to stand up to the Trump administration. Yale is currently negotiating with this administration, and since Yale is a global leader in higher education, its deal may have implications that span far beyond New Haven and Connecticut.”

“The University still has the opportunity to make the right decision,” said Marks. “The right decision is protecting its own autonomy from this federal attack and refusing to negotiate with Trump. The right decision is also to negotiate fair and just deals with campus workers and the New Haven community that begin to address this history and move us collectively forward together toward real partnership.”

A month earlier Mayor Justin Elicker and US Sen Richard Blumenthal along with other elected officials who are Yale alumni delivered the same message to the University, including a warning that if Yale gives in to Trump and no longer serves the public interest their tax exempt status could be in danger.

The Democratize Yale campaign is developing plans for continuing actions aimed at reversing the actions of the Yale Corporation and Board of Trustees.

Danbury and CT Unite Against ICE Terror

This week in Danbury, as families prepared for the special back to school days, the Department of Homeland Security decided to terrorize the community with massive ICE raids. Parents were taken in front of their children, at school buses and child care centers. The entire community was horrified, calling for an end to the terror, an investigation, transparency and help to those being hurt including traumatized children.

Immediately Danbury United for Immigrants coalesced, reached out to allies and city, state and federal elected officials, held a press conference and organized a Day Without Immigrants on September 2. The call was put out to not go to work or school, not shop, and attend a state-wide march and rally at the Danbury Public Library with a goal of organizing over 1,000 supporters. Local businesses declared a “DAY WITHOUT AN IMMIGRANT” and closed their doors to show the power of immigrant communities and those who support them in Connecticut.

The purpose was to offer a powerful, peaceful, collective protest and clearly communicate shared values and refusal to be silent and accept this as “normal”.

Husky 4 Immigrants was among the groups that joined in, saying “Danbury’s immigrant community is essential to the city and to our entire state. When immigrants are targeted and racially profiled, the whole community is harmed. Agents have beat up and tased people, broken windows, and arrested parents in front of their own children. We need to make clear that WE ARE NOT OK with the authoritarian takeover of any Connecticut city. CT stands with Danbury. ICE OUT OF CT! Danbury is a city where all of our neighbors are welcome, whose strength comes from our diversity. We’re coming together to keep Danbury a welcoming city for all! “

At least 65 families in Danbury have been torn apart by ICE’s abduction. On Monday 16 neighbors were abducted, on Tuesday 10 neighbors were abducted, on Wednesday 22 neighbors were abducted, and on Thursday 14 neighbors were abducted — while up to a dozen ICE vehicles patrolled the city each day.

Neighbors were abducted in front of a day care, in a grocery store parking lot, driving to work, in front of their houses, and when dropping off their kids at a school bus stop. On the first day of school as kids and parents were heading out to the bus stop or walking to school, they saw ICE vehicles lying in wait, they saw cars left on the side of the road with lights still blinking as their drivers were violently ripped from their communities.

There were a total of 100 arrests in Connecticut with some in Bridgeport, Hartford, Redding and Stamford.

“Over the last year, there have been mostly targeted arrests,” Tabitha Sookdeo, executive director of Connecticut Students for a Dream, told the Connecticut Mirror on Tuesday. “Yesterday was out of trend with anything observed.”

“If you can sort of imagine how one would design a system intended to terrorize a community — not intended to keep the community safe — you would design what they’re doing in Danbury right now," U.S. Senator Chris Murphy told the media.

Danbury school teachers are members of the Connecticut Education Association. President Kate Diaz responded angrily, “The start of the school year, a time of excitement and possibility for Connecticut students as they return to their teachers, friends, and familiar routines, is instead turning into the worst nightmare in many of our communities.

“Educators have spent their summer preparing to welcome students into classrooms where they can learn and grow. But in these first few days of school, that joyful return is being overshadowed by fear. A surge in ICE detentions, including those involving legal residents, is taking place at school dropoffs, bus stops, and other places where children are left to witness a parent or loved one being taken away. 

“Already the consequences are reaching far beyond the individuals detained. Entire communities are living under a cloud of terror, with families keeping their children home for fear of what may happen on the way to school or back. Children are losing access not only to education but also, critically, to friendships, trusted adults, meals, healthcare, and other supports they receive at their neighborhood schools. Communities are scrambling to provide safe passage to and from school, as well as meals and other essentials. 

“This is not what back-to-school should look like in Connecticut—or anywhere. Our schools should be places of safety, stability, and belonging. Teachers are opening their classroom doors ready to build relationships and help their students thrive. But children cannot be expected to learn when they are anxious that a parent may disappear while they are in class—or when their families are too afraid to send them to school at all.

“With the 2025 expansion of the Trust Act, Connecticut stands as a leader in the fight for human rights, immigrant justice, and schools as safe spaces. Across the country, educators are leading the fight as well. Earlier this year, the National Education Association filed an emergency motion to stop ICE from indiscriminately operating in and around schools. We must continue to reject the cruelty of policies and practices that inflict such trauma on our youngest, our most vulnerable, and the communities they call home.”

Among those who stepped up was SEIU local1973 Congress of Community Colleges, which circulated a message; “Why as a union do we advocate for the undocumented community?”

“When ICE comes to a community, the impact follows students into our classrooms,” they said telling. the story of Edel Hernandez Cervantes, a Danbury resident and CT State Community College student studying to become a physical therapist.

“Edel was getting ready for school when his father called. His uncle had been detained during an ICE operation and, after an encounter in which an agent used a Taser, was taken to the hospital. Instead of being able to focus on classes and his future, Edel spent the day trying to find his uncle, get information from the hospital and locate medical records that might help his family. By 11 p.m., he had barely eaten.

“Edel was born in the United States. His story is an important reminder that immigration enforcement does not affect only the person who is detained. It reaches their children, nieces and nephews, spouses, coworkers—and our students.”

The union explained that “Community college students already balance classes with jobs, caregiving, transportation, finances and countless other responsibilities. Now some are also wondering whether a parent will be there when they get home, whether a family member is safe, whether they should go to work, or what will happen to their family tomorrow.

“Faculty and staff cannot separate students from the lives they bring through our doors. Our students deserve to be able to come to campus focused on learning, building careers and creating better futures, not carrying the fear that their families could be torn apart while they are sitting in class. This is happening in the communities we serve. And that makes it a community college issue, too.”

Connecticut Primaries reflect unity needed to defeat MAGA in November

By Joelle Fishman

NEW HAVEN—Connecticut labor and people’s organizations are gearing up for the November 3 general election following an intensive Democratic primary on August 11. Outstanding was the fact that candidates in all races pledged to stand up to Trump and protect people’s needs, providing the foundation for unity against MAGA.

While there are Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate and a Democratic Governor, the number of working class champions is not large enough to override vetoes on cutting-edge bills like housing relief, school funding, aid to striking workers, and taxing the rich. 

All five Working Families Party (WFP) endorsed candidates for state legislature won their primaries as part of an effort to build power “for a government that finally answers to working people, not whoever writes the biggest check.

“This is what happens when working people organize: We knock the doors, we make the calls, we show up for each other, and we win seats nobody thought were winnable,” said the WFP. 

In a Senate district spanning Hartford, Bloomfield and Windsor, Maryam Khan (SD-2), special education teacher and two year state representative, defeated a charter school-backed incumbent. She will be the first Muslim woman State Senator if elected in November..

In Glastonbury, acience teacher Moise Carelus (HD-31) beat a four-term incumbent who voted against school funding, made assault weapons easier to get, and wouldn’t stand up to ICE.  In East Hartford, Angie Parkinson (HD-10), a teacher for 25 years, ran to fund neighborhood schools.  In Milford,  Toni Lombardi (HD-118), a school secretary, ran saying affordable communities and strong public schools are inseparable.

In a Senate district including Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield and Middletown, Jack Fazzino (SD-13) builds on his work in the House judiciary committee, protecting immigrant communities and reducing ICE presence in schools, hospitals, and houses of worship. 

“We’ve won before by building power, not waiting for permission. $15 minimum wage. Paid family and medical leave. Tonight adds the next chapter,” WFP said.

In New Haven, longtime progressive state representative Pat Dillon was defeated by a young former Alder, Eli Sabin, who moved to the district at the beginning of the year.  Also in the race was DSA member Justin Farmer.  All three projected programs to address the crisis of the cost of living and the threat of Trump.  Dillon was supported by the labor movement for her consistent support, but the wave of change prevailed.

Also in New Haven, an open seat for State Senate was won by Wildaliz Burmudez, who chairs the City’s Fair Rent Commission and ran against labor-backed Leland Moore. 

New Haven is the largest voter turnout city in the state, key to election of any statewide office, including Governor.

In the primary, Governor Ned Lamont faced challenger State Representative Josh Elliott, whose campaign centered on taxing the rich.  Lamont, a millionaire from Greenwich, has refused to consider the tax the rich agenda of Connecticut for All.  Elliott’s message got 30% of the vote, which adds to the pressure on Lamont.  

The Connecticut AFL CIO endorsed Lamont in recognition of support given during organizing drives, including highway service workers and strikes, including hotel and food service workers, even though the Governor vetoed (twice) a bill to allow striking workers to receive unemployment compensation.  He has now pledged to support the bill. 

Lamont featured his opposition to Trump, including bills he signed as a result of long and hard grassroots organizing.  As a result, Connecticut has one of the strongest Trust Act language in the country to protect immigrant families.  

The Four C’s union and New Haven Federation of Teachers broke with their state affiliates and endorsed Elliott out of frustration that their budgets were severely underfunded despite large-scale demands. 

The voter turnout in Connecticut was 23% of registered Democrats, down from the 2018 governor primary, which had 29% turnout.

Of greatest national attention was the First Congressional District primary, including Hartford and 27 surrounding towns.  The victor in the Democratic primary is expected to win the general election. 

Luke Bronin, former mayor of Hartford, defeated Congressman John Larson in a highly funded campaign riding the anti-incumbent wave. While Larson is more progressive, Bronin, who has been criticized for his anti-labor actions as Mayor, kept moving to the left in order to win votes.

Bronin had narrowly secured the Democratic Party endorsement and appeared on the same ballot line as Governor Lamont.  Their votes were nearly identical in each town.

Larson has been the leading voice in Congress for protecting and expanding Social Security.  His Social Security 2100 bill would scrap the cap so that the highest earners would pay taxes on their full income.

This was one of two races in the country where VoteVets funded a more conservative younger candidate against a more progressive senior incumbent in a majority Democratic district. VoteVets contributed over one million dollars to Bronin.

Larson’s biggest contributor was Working Families PAC along with elected officials PACs.

In addition to Bronin, two more challengers were in the field. West Hartford State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest and Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune. Both criticized the outside money calling for campaign finance reform.  

Larson, from a working-class family and passionate against Project 2025, earned support from most unions, the Alliance for Retired Americans, Planned Parenthood, Human Rights Campaign, and many more.

But the AFL-CIO stayed neutral. There were no labor walks to discuss the campaign from union member to union member, while Bronin’s large campaign funding allowed him to conduct a strong door-knocking effort. 

On election night, Larson said, “Elections are about people. Tonight the people have spoken.  Now is the time for all of us to come together. This fight goes on. Along with our Connecticut delegation, I will continue to wage that war in Washington, D.C., every day that we’re there to stand up to this President.” 

Within days of the primary, the corporate Wall Street Journal celebrated Larson’s defeat and called on Democrats to “re-think Social Security,” and oppose scrapping the cap and increasing benefits.

Social Security Works, one of Larson’s strongest supporters, responded,  “We can’t let billionaires dismantle Social Security and steal from seniors who worked hard their entire lives!” 

It will take an ongoing concerted and unified effort by labor and allies to demand Bronin delivers on his campaign promises to block the MAGA agenda and enact legislation on the side of working people’s needs, not corporate greed and militarism.

November’s general election cannot be taken for granted. The Republican candidate for Governor, State Sen. Ryan Fazio, is already touring the state and looking to peel off votes from New Haven and elsewhere. 

Conversations with voters at their homes and at work will help increase voter turnout, build support for bold working-class demands and strengthen the fight against the cruel and brutal MAGA billionaire agenda.

Coalition for Pretrial Justice Calls for End to Cash Bail

Members of the Connecticut Coalition for Pretrial Justice planted 3,500 flags at the State Capitol last week: one for every signature on their petition to change the pretrial justice system, and matching the roughly 3,500 people incarcerated pretrial in Connecticut on any given day.

The Coalition is building a statewide campaign going door-to-door, visiting churches, community meetings, and holding events. The 3,500 signed petitions were gathered over the past ten months through in-person conversations about the harmful effects of cash bail.

When asked to reckon with the fact that nearly 1-in-3 people in Connecticut prisons have not been found guilty of their alleged crimes, members of the public readily sign-on to the campaign for change.  

“We must create a justice system that prioritizes rehabilitation over punishment, where access to freedom is not determined by wealth,” said Next Level Empowerment Program, a co-founding organization of the Connecticut Coalition for Pretrial Justice.

“Community is the driving force behind the reforms we’re fighting for,” explained Rev. Scott Marks, Executive Director of New Haven Rising. “We are building a campaign to lift up and empower the communities most harmed by the current system. It’s about organizing the people of this state to demand an end to this two-tiered system of justice, where if you’re rich you can buy your freedom, and if you’re poor you’re punished while you’re supposed to be presumed innocent.” 

“We know in whose neighborhoods these flags would be planted if we placed one at every doorstep of more than 15,000 people who were booked into Connecticut’s prison system pretrial last year,” he said. “Black and brown communities in Connecticut are policed more, charged more and detained more.”

The Coalition is building momentum ahead of the 2027 legislative session. Cash bail systems have been ended in Illinois, New Jersey and New York.

“No one belongs in jail because they can’t pay. No one belongs in jail because they were a little bit late. No one belongs in jail who is not convicted. This is simple,” remarked Sen. Gary Winfield, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Birthday Calls to Action: Medicaid/Husky, Medicare and Social Security

 

The 61 st anniversary of the passage of Medicare and Medicaid on July 30, and the upcoming 91 st anniversary of Social Security in August were marked in Connecticut with urgent calls to action.

The Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) gathered at the CSEA union hall in Hartford to celebrate both anniversaries. Speaking to the urgent need to stop MAGA Republicans from privatizing Social Security and devastating the lives of millions of retirees, disbled and children, Congressman John Larson called on Congress to “scrap the cap” and make top earners pay their share of Social Security taxes so the entire program remains solvent into the future.

A press conference at the state capitol organized by the Connecticut Citizens Action Group (CCAG) focused on the cruel cuts by the MAGA Republican Congress to Medicaid/HUSKY which covers one in four state residents in every single city and town.

More than 900,000 people who are on Medicaid/HUSKY in Connecticut, a third of whom are children, are threatened by new federal work requirements and eligibility changes in the cruel “Big Beautiful Bill.”

In October, both non-citizens and legal permanent residents who once qualified for HUSKY will no longer be covered. In January work requirements will be imposed on Medicaid recipients from 19 to 64 years old.

“Advocates, lawmakers, Governor Lamont, state leaders, we all need to work together with our state agencies to make sure families do not lose their healthcare,” declared State Rep. Jane Baribay, co-chair of the Aging Committee.

As a result of grassroots pressure and organizing last year, the Legislature and Governor allocated extra state funding to support Medicait/HUSKY, but now much more is required.

“The time has come to pressure leaders for universal health care,” said Tom Swan, executive director of CCAG.  “We’ve been close before, but what’s happening now proves it more than ever. We need universal healthcare. Let’s stop messing around.”

The state Department of Social Services (DSS) has created a “prescreener site” on their webpage enabling those receiving HUSKY to see if eligibility changes will affect them..

Legislators, Unions Urge Yale: Stand up to Trump

 

State representatives, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have a message for Yale: Stand up against Trump, and we will stand with you. On May 14, Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that it found Yale discriminated against Asian and white applicants to the Yale School of Medicine, and threatened to extend these allegations to law school and undergraduate admissions as well. These dubious “findings” are part of the Trump administration’s long battle against academic freedom with the intention of inducing a chilling effect on campus speech. In response to these threats of litigation, Yale has the choice to stand up and use its $44 billion endowment to fight for academic freedom, or seek a surrender settlement in response to Trump’s shakedown.

According to a letter from eight State Lawmakers, including New Haven representatives Pat Dillon, Roland Lemar, and Steve Winter, the allegations made by the DOJ are unfounded and need to be challenged. “...capitulating now would constitute a serious abandonment of Yale’s values, be a severe strategic miscalculation, and could jeopardize Yale’s relationship with the State of Connecticut — including state-granted privileges the University has long taken for granted,” reads the letter, which clarifies that such privileges include the university’s special tax-exempt status that could potentially be eliminated.

While Yale leadership could pursue a settlement to get the Trump administration off their back temporarily, surrendering would only provide additional ammunition for Trump to pursue more concessions from higher education, at Yale and beyond. As noted in the lawmakers’ letter, settlements at other universities, including Columbia, have only served as a “springboard for new demands.” Additionally, the AAUP has asserted that a potential Yale settlement would endanger institutions of higher education throughout the state, especially those who lack the financial power to fight the administration in court. The AAUP is prepared to legally challenge the settlement if it occurs.

The national AFT and AFT Connecticut also joined the AAUP in calling on Yale to reject a settlement. While the DOJ claims the allegations against Yale are only about admissions, it represents a continuation of Trump’s intention to limit academic freedom in educational institutions across the country. In a letter issued by the AAUP and AFT, such a settlement would also give the federal government continued leverage over “hiring, curriculum, research, medical practice, campus speech, student discipline, or faculty governance.” As the letter from the CT state lawmakers also noted, “settlements have consistently placed universities — and their leaders and employees personally — in a worse legal position than they occupied under existing law, not a better one.”

If Yale University shows that mere threats of litigation over unproven allegations will lead to preemptive compliance, it would only encourage the Trump administration to continue his anti-education agenda using such threats as a bargaining chip. Trump, in addition to being firmly anti-science, has threatened to abolish the Department of Education. Federal funding has been withdrawn from programs that include crucial medical and climate change research. The administration has also attacked Historically Black Colleges and Universities throughout the country, inflicting them with severe funding cuts and undermining federal student loan programs.

"Even at smaller colleges like Smith, we are paying close attention to the actions by the Yale administration in the face of Trump's escalating threats. Yale's refusal to buckle to illegal demands from the Trump Administration is one all colleges and universities have stakes in supporting. We stand in solidarity with the college communities of workers and students like Yale who have the courage to fight judicial overreach and bullying to want to steal hard-won basic rights, equality and access to educational resources,” Elisabeth Armstrong, the Sydenham Parsons Clark Professor in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Smith College and AAUP member, told the People’s World.

If Yale chooses to stand with its own academic community to fight back against Trump’s demands, it would be using its financial resources and status to not only protect its own students, faculty, and workers, but also the entire system of higher education in the US. When Harvard University joined the AAUP in litigation against the federal government, billions of dollars in frozen funding was restored. State lawmakers have asserted that if Yale would fight as Harvard did, it would almost certainly win. Yale would have the support of the AAUP, the AFT, and CT state lawmakers behind it, should it choose to defend its own principles of academic freedom and institutional independence.

Congress Urged to Extend Haitian TPS Status

Union leaders and elected officials demanded action as fear and devastation grip the Haitian community with Trump's expiration of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) work authorizations. Thousands of long-term residents and their families and communities where they live and work have been thrown into crisis.

About 9,460 people with TPS live in Connecticut and 5,000 Haitians are losing work authorization according to Comptroller Sean Scanlon. TPS was created for those escaping war, natural disaster or other dangerous sitations.

The sudden loss of these Haitian workers, many in healtcare, is devastating nursing homes, hospitals and longterm care facilities.

Decrying the situation at a press conference in Manchester, Stephanie Deceus, a vice president of SEIU 1199NE healthcare workers union, warned of dire consequescen for healthcare delivery.

“These are registered nurses, LPNs, CNAs, home care workers, group home workers. These are people who make the full chain of care. They care for our parents. They care for our grandparents. They care for our neighbors. They care for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.,” she explained.

"These are not just numbers in a workforce report," Deceus continued. "These are people. These are real people, real families. These are homeowners with longstanding ties to our community. These are caregivers that our community depends on every single day. They have built their lives here. They raise families here. They care for our loved ones here," she emphasized.

Scanlon called on Congress to act immediately to extend work authorization status to those on TPS. Senate bill S. 4814 would require DHS to redesignate Haiti for TPS and extend protections through January 2029, protecting essential workers from deportation, and creating a pathway to permanent residency. Its House companion, H.R. 1689, already passed with bipartisan support. Another bill with 50 co-sponsors including Rep. John Larson, the Temporary Protected Status Review Act, would establish additional protections for TPS recipients. The Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act, or SECURE, was introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and dozens of other Democratic senators.

Legislators, Unions Urge Yale: Stand up to Trump

State representatives, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have a message for Yale: Stand up against Trump, and we will stand with you. On May 14, Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that it found Yale discriminated against Asian and white applicants to the Yale School of Medicine, and threatened to extend these allegations to law school and undergraduate admissions as well. These dubious “findings” are part of the Trump administration’s long battle against academic freedom with the intention of inducing a chilling effect on campus speech. In response to these threats of litigation, Yale has the choice to stand up and use its $44 billion endowment to fight for academic freedom, or seek a surrender settlement in response to Trump’s shakedown.

According to a letter from eight State Lawmakers, including New Haven representatives Pat Dillon, Roland Lemar, and Steve Winter, the allegations made by the DOJ are unfounded and need to be challenged. “...capitulating now would constitute a serious abandonment of Yale’s values, be a severe strategic miscalculation, and could jeopardize Yale’s relationship with the State of Connecticut — including state-granted privileges the University has long taken for granted,” reads the letter, which clarifies that such privileges include the university’s special tax-exempt status that could potentially be eliminated.

While Yale leadership could pursue a settlement to get the Trump administration off their back temporarily, surrendering would only provide additional ammunition for Trump to pursue more concessions from higher education, at Yale and beyond. As noted in the lawmakers’ letter, settlements at other universities, including Columbia, have only served as a “springboard for new demands.” Additionally, the AAUP has asserted that a potential Yale settlement would endanger institutions of higher education throughout the state, especially those who lack the financial power to fight the administration in court. The AAUP is prepared to legally challenge the settlement if it occurs.

The national AFT and AFT Connecticut also joined the AAUP in calling on Yale to reject a settlement. While the DOJ claims the allegations against Yale are only about admissions, it represents a continuation of Trump’s intention to limit academic freedom in educational institutions across the country. In a letter issued by the AAUP and AFT, such a settlement would also give the federal government continued leverage over “hiring, curriculum, research, medical practice, campus speech, student discipline, or faculty governance.” As the letter from the CT state lawmakers also noted, “settlements have consistently placed universities — and their leaders and employees personally — in a worse legal position than they occupied under existing law, not a better one.”

If Yale University shows that mere threats of litigation over unproven allegations will lead to preemptive compliance, it would only encourage the Trump administration to continue his anti-education agenda using such threats as a bargaining chip. Trump, in addition to being firmly anti-science, has threatened to abolish the Department of Education. Federal funding has been withdrawn from programs that include crucial medical and climate change research. The administration has also attacked Historically Black Colleges and Universities throughout the country, inflicting them with severe funding cuts and undermining federal student loan programs.

"Even at smaller colleges like Smith, we are paying close attention to the actions by the Yale administration in the face of Trump's escalating threats. Yale's refusal to buckle to illegal demands from the Trump Administration is one all colleges and universities have stakes in supporting. We stand in solidarity with the college communities of workers and students like Yale who have the courage to fight judicial overreach and bullying to want to steal hard-won basic rights, equality and access to educational resources,” Elisabeth Armstrong, the Sydenham Parsons Clark Professor in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Smith College and AAUP member, told the People’s World.

If Yale chooses to stand with its own academic community to fight back against Trump’s demands, it would be using its financial resources and status to not only protect its own students, faculty, and workers, but also the entire system of higher education in the US. When Harvard University joined the AAUP in litigation against the federal government, billions of dollars in frozen funding was restored. State lawmakers have asserted that if Yale would fight as Harvard did, it would almost certainly win. Yale would have the support of the AAUP, the AFT, and CT state lawmakers behind it, should it choose to defend its own principles of academic freedom and institutional independence.

Court protects CT voter lists from Trump

“Big win for Connecticut voters,” said Attorney General William Tong this week. “A federal judge dismissed the Trump Administration's lawsuit seeking to force Connecticut to hand over its statewide voter registration list.”

In January, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Connecticut for its refusal to hand over voter registration lists. It filed similar suits against 22 other states. Connecticut maintained it complies with all federal election laws while protecting sensitive voter information and that the Civil Rights Act of 1960 does not authorize DOJ’s demand.

“This lawsuit was an illegal attempt to disenfranchise Connecticut voters and today, the court shut it down. The Constitution is clear: the President does not control our elections and has no right to manipulate Connecticut voter rolls,” said Tong.

“Connecticut follows federal law and takes its obligations under federal law very seriously. We will not be bullied into handing over sensitive voter information just because Trump demands it.”

Motions to dismiss the lawsuit were also filed by the ACLU Foundation of Connecticut and Common Cause, SEIU District 1199NE, the Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans, Connecticut Citizen Action Group and Stephanie Thomas the Secretary of State.

In the decision, U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley dismissed the action, concluding DOJ has no authority under the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to require Connecticut to produce its statewide voter registration list. The court held that the list falls outside the statute because it is created by the Secretary of State.

“This administration has used the courts to push their agenda. They tried to gain access to our state’s voter data, putting our residents’ privacy at risk,” said Dan Barrett, Legal Director for the ACLU Foundation of Connecticut.

“As Connecticut’s primaries are only weeks away, with the midterm elections soon after, this ruling comes when election integrity matters most. This decision reaffirms what has already been true for years: Connecticut’s elections are safe and secure. In this state, every voter has the right to cast their ballot and know that their privacy will be respected in the process.” he said.

Machinists Call for Worker Solidarity at Connecticut AFL-CIO Convention

IAM Union International President Brian Bryant joined labor leaders in New Haven for the Connecticut AFL-CIO’s 16th Biennial Political Convention, delivering a powerful keynote address focused on solidarity, organizing, and building worker power in the face of growing attacks on working families.

The convention, themed “Strong Unions, Stronger Democracy,” also featured a keynote address by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, and its agenda centered on organizing, political action, economic justice, and the protection of workers’ rights.

Bryant followed Shuler, thanking Connecticut AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne and the state’s labor movement for their unwavering support during the 2025 IAM District 26 strike at Pratt & Whitney.

“We did not win that strike alone,” Bryant said. “We won because of the solidarity of the labor movement in this state. We won because Connecticut union members understood that the fight at Pratt & Whitney wasn’t just about Pratt & Whitney. It was about every worker in Connecticut.”

Bryant credited the union members of Connecticut for walking picket lines, delivering supplies, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with striking IAM Union Local 1746 and Local 700 members, calling their victory proof that solidarity remains labor’s greatest strength.

Throughout his speech, Bryant challenged corporate greed and attacks on collective bargaining while emphasizing the IAM Union’s commitment to organizing and fighting for working people.

“The labor movement is under attack. Workers are under attack. And unions are under attack,” said Bryant. “But the labor movement has seen this playbook before. And we are not going backward. Not now. Not ever.”

Bryant also highlighted the IAM Union’s Workers vs. Billionaires campaign, urging delegates to recognize that the struggle facing working families transcends political divisions.

“This is not Democrat versus Republican. This is not Left versus Right,” said Bryant. “This is workers versus the people profiting while workers struggle to survive. It is workers versus corporate greed. Workers versus union busting.”

He concluded by calling on delegates to continue organizing new workers and standing united against efforts to weaken unions.

“Together we stand. Together we fight. Together we organize. And together we will build an economy that works for workers—not just billionaires.”

Earlier in the convention, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler urged delegates to continue organizing workers and building political power, arguing that working people must shape an economy that prioritizes the workers who drive it over shareholders and profits.

“That economic pain won’t end until we take on an entire system that has left working people behind, and we put in place an economy that values real work,” said Shuler. “It starts with three words that everyone in this room knows well: Organize, organize, organize. That’s how we change what’s possible in this country.”

Shuler stressed that protecting workers’ rights requires mobilization beyond the workplace and into legislatures. “Organizing in the workplace won’t be successful if it isn’t paired with political organizing. Because the rules matter. Who writes them matters. Who enforces them matters,” said Shuler.

The convention brought together union delegates from across Connecticut to discuss organizing strategies, political action, legislative priorities, and strengthening worker power ahead of the 2026 elections.

Labor 2026 program to Get Out the Vote

The convention endorsed a slate of pro-worker candidates prior to the August 11 primary who in interviews committed to protecting workers' rights and advancing policies that strengthen working families, with the goal of making the Democratic majority General Assembly “more worker friendly.” including 24 candidates for State Senate and 83 candidates for State House of Representatives.

The delegates adopted several resolutions including Resolution One Committing Full Support to the Labor 2026 Program. The labor-to-labor political program is designed to mobilize union members to speak to co-workiers and their families about the elections, based upon mutual trust.

The resolution emphasized that the political progrm “has proven to be effective in mobilizing union households to vote in such large numbers as to equal at least 20% of the total votes cast.”

The mobilization has helped elect dozens of union members to the state legislature and local office, “who are committed to supporting working people,” said the Resolution emphasizing that full resources will be put into the “Labor 2026 plan to elect pro-worker, pro-union candidates.”

The plan includes canvassing by visiting co-workers at home, speaking on the phone, and member-to-member communications with worksite leaflets, mailings, newsletters, emails, text and social media.

The program also includes registering members to vote and educating members about the option to vote early and by absentee ballot.”

The Resolution commits to “hold labor's endorsed candidates accountabnle after the election.”

One of several workshops. “Challenging Authoritarianism Through People Power” presented by New Haven Federation of Teachers president Leslie Blatteau, was geared to engage larger numbers of union members prepared to resist and organize large peaceful protests in the event of attempts to steal the election or other policies that threaten democratic rights.

The training is being held across the country by American Federation of Teachers locals and other union organizations.

CT Rallies Demand Justice for Migrants

Rallies across Connecticut, in response to cold blooded killings of immigrants by ICE in Texas and Maine, denounced the growing violence, demanding accountability, dignity, and due process for all.

Immigrant rights organizations Make the Road, Hartford Deportation Defense and Unidad Latina en Accion (ULA) are in the lead, joined by community, faith and union members.

In New Haven at the Federal Building ULA said, “It is time to speak out., stand together, reject fear, defend human rights, and affirm that every person deserves dignity, safety, and due process regardless of immigration status.”

“What was the "crime" committed by many of these victims? Simply driving while being immigrants,” said ULA. “Instead of due process, many people face racial profiling, aggressive enforcement, and a system that appears focused on hunting down anyone perceived to be an immigrant.”

On July 7 in Houston, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican citizen who lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was intercepted and killed by ICE en route to a construction job site.

Six days later, a 26-year-old Colombian man, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, who worked as a delivery driver, was shot and killed by ICE agents in Biddeford, Maine.

In Connecticut in June, a member of ULA was violently apprehended by ICE agents. Without medical care he was taken with a broken wrist to an immigration detention center and not released for several days.

In West Hartford in June ICE agents kidnapped Seyo Cecunjanin, a restauranteur on his way to work. The community rallied immediately and with the support of Rep John Larson and Sen. Richard Blumenthal in several days he was released. In all these cases the person was not who ICE was looking for.

“Connecticut has stronger protections than many other states because of more than two decades of organizing and advocacy by immigrant rights organizations and their allies in labor and community. Those gains were not freely given—they were won through collective struggle. But those protections cannot be taken for granted. Remaining silent in the face of abuse only allows injustice to continue.” said ULA.

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.