Press Room

Council 4 AFSCME mourns the loss of Middletown police officer

On Sunday, Dec. 4, the Middletown Police Department announced that Officer Matt Silvestrini, who had fought a long battle with brain cancer, died Saturday.

Union applauds labor board decision in Bridgeport case

AFSCME Local 1522 and its parent union, Council 4, applauded a ruling this month by the state labor board that found

Board of Ed Employees Join Statewide "Blackout for School Safety"

On Jan. 12, Bridgeport school paraprofessionals and AFSCME Local 1522 members Rayvon Cox and Ranese Cox of AFSCME Local 1522 came their respective schools wearing black hoodies emblazoned with white writing that read, #Blackout4SafeSchools.

Educators and School Staff Urge Action to Assure "Safe, Healthy Return to the Classroom"

The Board of Education (BOE) Union Coalition, which includes Council 4, is calling on state and district officials to take specific additional steps ahead of students’ return from winter break. Action is needed now as the COVID-19 omicron variant continues transmitting at the highest levels since the start of the pandemic.

Killingly Paras Stand Strong, Make Significant Contract Gains

Members of AFSCME Local 3689, representing 100-plus paraprofessionals in the Killingly school system, are pleased with their new tentative agreement, which was unanimously approved by the Board of Education Dec. 15, 2021.

Frontline Public Service Employees Request Extension of Vaccine Compliance Deadline for State Workforce

Friday, October 1, 2021--HARTFORD -- State employees currently providing essential services at unprecedented short-staffing levels are requesting a 20-day extension on Governor Ned Lamont’s vaccination mandate that allows for a temporary process of testing in lieu of vaccination at some workplaces. 

DSS Members Petition Governor, Commissioner Over Telework Violations

Sept. 23, 2021—Frustrated by their agency’s refusal to honor a recently negotiated telework agreement, AFSCME union members who work for the state Department of Social Services have taken their objections directly to Gov. Ned Lamont and agency Commissioner Deidre Gifford.

More than 600 members of AFSCME Local 714 and AFSCME Local 2663 signed a petition demanding that DSS comply with the telework agreement signed July 31, 2021 between the administration and the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC).

Killingly Paras Demand Respect and Fair Contract Settlement

Aug. 23, 2021—Killingly School Paraprofessionals and their union, Local 3689 of AFSCME Council 4, say they are concerned by the exodus of their colleagues to neighboring towns offering better wages and working conditions while negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement have reached formal impasse.

Council 4 Comments on Employer Vaccination Mandates

For Immediate Release
Monday, Aug. 2, 2021

Council 4 Executive Director Jody Barr on Vaccine Mandates

Securing a Vaccination To Benefit Our Schools

Thanks to the advocacy of Council 4 and our partners in the Board of Education Union Coalition, our recommendation for the adoption of a parallel vaccination plan for public schools was included in directives announced yesterday by Governor Ned Lamont.