Together We Rise

Unions

4Cs members are committed to stick together in our union, despite today’s decision by the Supreme Court that makes it easier for anti-worker extremists to rig the economy further by dividing working people.

We won’t let any court case stand in the way of our fight for the good, union jobs that our communities need. We know that when working people are united in a union, they have the power in numbers to raise wages, secure basic needs like healthcare coverage, improve their jobs, make life better for their families and build stronger communities.

Today’s ruling only makes 4Cs members even more determined to:

Stick together with their co-workers in their union
Unite more workers together in unions to turn poverty-wage jobs into good, union jobs
Hold politicians accountable for doing everything in their power to help more workers join together in unions to create the most inclusive middle class in our nation’s history

4Cs members are joined by working people from across the nation who are showing their unity in the face of this decision by holding up signs with a simple message: UNION. Photos and videos of people holding UNION signs are being posted on social media using the hashtag #Union.

You are also invited to join us at a press conference in front of the Hartford Supreme Court at 4pm today. And if you have not yet, we hope you consider reaffirming your support for the 4Cs and sign a membership form here.

Questions & Answers for 4Cs Members

What does this court case mean for our union? Will this destroy your union and permanently weaken the labor movement?

4Cs members are bound and determined to stick together in our union, no matter what. We’re not going to let any court case stop us from fighting for the good, union jobs our communities need.

We stand on the shoulders of public workers who fought for their union in the 60s and 70s, who faced much worse but were relentless in their efforts to join together in unions.

How many members will your union lose now? How much money will your union lose?

The power of our union comes from our members, not from money. Our money has always been dwarfed by corporate special interests. Our power is the people, and their determination to fight for their families and our communities.

I can tell you that 4Cs members are bound and determined to stick together in our union. We know from experience that we are stronger together. And we’re going to keep fighting and keep up our demand to make every job a good, union job that provides financial security for our families and strengthens our communities.

I’m confident that we will make the demand for good, union jobs and that our elected leaders will respond. We are driving a turnaround in this country that begins this year and will continue through 2020 by uniting working people to demand that elected officials do everything in their power to make it easier to join together in unions so we all have a fair shot at the middle class.

ebenson August 2nd, 2018

Posted In: Unions

Tags: front featured

Powerful billionaires are using the Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME to further rig the economy against working families. We won’t let any court case stand in the way of our fight for the good union jobs our families, communities, and country need. (Learn more about the the Janus v. AFSCME case from this link provided by our sisters and brothers from SEIU Local 1199.)

One way to show you’re standing up for your co-workers, your community, and yourself through your union is to take the “Union Challenge!” (also referred to as the Norma Rae Challenge).

Here’s what you can do:
1. Grab a piece of paper, cardboard, poster board, or anything you can write on, and write “UNION” on the sign!
2. Raise the sign above your head—you can stand on your desk or chair, or in your work place.
3. Have a friend take your photo.
4. Upload to your favorite social media site & share it using the hashtags #Union and #WeRise.

Take a look at a number of your fellow 4Cs sisters and brothers below who have already taken the challenge.

Time for you to get into the action. Click here to share your Union Challenge picture with us.

ebenson June 1st, 2018

Posted In: Unions

Tags: front featured

Please join the 4Cs for our 2018 Membership Conference on Saturday, April 28 at the Mystic Hilton. The agenda and registration can be found here.

Workshops will include preparing for retirement, promotion and tenure, contract questions and answers, labor history, conflict resolution, the politics of public higher education, and more!

Our lunchtime speaker will be Steve Thornton, author of
Wicked Hartford. “One of the oldest cities in America, Hartford holds plenty of sinful stories. Famed inventor and industrialist Samuel Colt sold arms to both the North and South in the buildup to the Civil War. The notorious Seyms Street jail was the subject of national criticism and scandal for its deplorable conditions. Local journalist Daniel Birdsall fought to expose corruption in the powerful insurance industry and local government at the expense of his own printing presses. Tension between unions and “robber barons” such as Jay Gould spilled into the streets during the Gilded Age. In Wicked Hartford, Author Steve Thornton takes readers on an exciting journey through the seedy underbelly of Hartford’s past” (read more here).

Steve Thornton is a retired union organizer (the 4Cs and 1199) and community activist who has led strikes and organizing campaigns in Connecticut for the past 35 years. He has trained hundreds of people in nonviolent direct action and thousands of workers to become rank and file leaders. Steve has worked to build coalitions between various groups working on economic, racial, and environmental justice (http://bportlibrary.org/hc/author/steve-thornton/)

Registration will remain open until Friday, April 20. Please register here!

ebenson April 2nd, 2018

Posted In: Adjuncts, Events, Part-Timers, Unions

The budget passed by the House and Senate over the weekend hurts our students and our colleges. In President Ojakian’s words, “Early Saturday morning the Connecticut General Assembly passed a budget that intends to cut approximately $93M from the CSCU system over the next two years. Funding for developmental education is completely eliminated, while the Roberta Willis scholarship fund is phased out…This amounts to an unprecedented denial of access and support to public higher education students in Connecticut.” Read the full statement here.

The budget would also dismantle our fundamental collective bargaining rights by:

Removing funding for cost-of-living increases for retired state employees;
Unilaterally changing how pensions are calculated– even for years already worked, and for all years through 2027;
And increasing pension contributions for ALL state employees to 7%.

If this budget were passed into law, SEBAC would be forced to litigate and defend our contractual and contract rights.

The Governor has pledged to veto the budget, but the Yankee Institute is encouraging people to contact the Governor and ask him to sign the budget.

We are asking you to do two things:

Please contact your legislators to demand restoration of funding to the Community Colleges and the Willis Scholarship. You can locate your legislators and view our template email by visiting this link.
Please email Governor Malloy to ask him to stand by his pledge to veto this budget and to restore funding for CSCU and the Willis Scholarship in the budget compromise. You can email him here.

ebenson September 20th, 2017

Posted In: Political Action, Unions

Tags: front recent

Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote on the 4Cs and SEBAC Tentative Agreements.

All three tentative agreements – SEBAC, 4Cs full-time CBA, and 4Cs part-time CBA – were overwhelmingly approved by you. Please see the attached for our CBA results.

In addition, all Connecticut SEBAC voting unit members unanimously approved the SEBAC tentative agreement. Please see the SEBAC press release here.

The support of these agreements by our members sends an important message to every Connecticut citizen. Together, we have stated loud and clear that we are willing to do our part to assure Connecticut Community Colleges continue to deliver affordable, high quality education and excellent services into the future. This is what we do, and we do it extremely well!

Your support for these agreements is a reflection of how much 4Cs members care about protecting Connecticut Community Colleges, our students, and our communities.

Thank you for your dedication and sacrifice.

In solidarity,

Bryan R. Bonina, President

Congress of CT Community Colleges

ebenson July 18th, 2017

Posted In: 4Cs President, SEBAC, Unions

Tags: front recent

The University of Hartford adjuncts voted to join the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges and SEIU Faculty Forward, marking the first successful effort by adjuncts at a private university in Connecticut!

ebenson January 5th, 2017

Posted In: Part-Timers, Uncategorized, Unions

Tags: front recent

Tell legislators to support Connecticut’s community colleges! Follow the link to share your contact information and we’ll add your name and send the postcard for you.

jrojas February 25th, 2016

Posted In: Students, Unions

Tags: front recent

A diverse group of community, faith, civic and labor organizations on the weekend before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2016 came together to reclaim the great civil rights leader’s vision. Over 300 people gathered at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Bloomfield for a forum design to promote greater democracy and end racial and economic inequality.

Attendees pledged to work together and hold elected and civic leaders accountable in five key policy areas. They include:
* good jobs and fair wages;
* universal access to quality public education;
* a vibrant and fairly funded public sector;
* racial, gender, and ethnic justice; and
* real democracy in our state and in our workplaces.

Follow Unity, Equality and Democracy Connecticut on Facebook to learn more and be part of the movement: https://www.facebook.com/UnityEqualit…

Music: Scotticesa Marks, https://www.youtube.com/user/sdmwassup

Videographer: Neal Thomassen, https://www.facebook.com/unionneal