4Cs Leadership Discusses New Member Engagement

Unions

On Saturday, September 15, 4Cs Chapter Chairs and Delegates were invited to attend a meeting to discuss better ways to engage new members! Ideas were exchanged, tools were previewed, and challenges were discussed.

We will be implementing new ideas throughout the year!

ebenson September 15th, 2018

Posted In: 4Cs President, Delegate Assembly, SEIU, Unions

Tags: front recent

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

As you know, the 4Cs is expecting a decision in the the Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME that may change how our union functions in the future (learn more here).

4Cs members will not let any court case stand in the way of our fight for the good union jobs our families, communities, and country need.

One way to show you’re standing up for your co-workers, your community, and yourself through your union is to take the SEIU Norma Rae Challenge.

Here’s what you can do:

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

If it is okay for the 4Cs to use the image on our social media channels, please email it to Ellen Benson at ellen@the4cs.org.

ebenson April 19th, 2018

Posted In: SEIU, Unions

Tags: front recent

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

Join fellow workers across Connecticut to rise up against the rich and powerful who are using the Supreme Court and Janus v. AFSCME to divide us. Unions and supporters will be at the following locations on Monday, February 26 at noon-1pm:

Hartford Supreme Court (Capitol Ave)
UConn-Storrs Student Union
New Haven City Hall (Church St)
Stamford Government Center (Washington Blvd.)

The 4Cs will have staff at both the Hartford and UConn locations.

If you can’t join one of these actions, you can support us by:

Watching the actions nationally with co-workers at www.SEIU.org/WatchLive and share photos or videos of your group on your social media channels using: #WeRise
Sharing images to your social media pages by downloading one of the images here.
Updating your Facebook and Twitter profiles by using images here.
Recommitting to the 4Cs here.

ebenson February 22nd, 2018

Posted In: SEIU, Unions

Tags: front recent

This semester you will be hearing a lot about a case that will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, starting with oral arguments on Monday, February 26 – Janus v. AFSCME.

This case has the potential to make “Right to Work” law in all 50 states.

This case would likely overturn Abood v. Detroit, where the Supreme Court affirmed that it was constitutional for public sector unions to collect fair share fees (agency fees in CT) from employees who choose not to join a union, but who the union is legally required to represent in negotiations with the employer.

As all public employees enjoy the benefits, job security, and other protections the union negotiates, it is only fair that all employees contribute to the cost of securing those benefits and protections. Without this security, the union’s collective power can be seriously weakened as members can be divided when a “free rider” effect erodes the solidarity encouraged by a “fair share” approach.

Make no mistake that this is an attempt to starve unions of resources and power. But the 4Cs is using this threat as an incentive to create a historic union-wide member outreach effort and to transform our union!

We are asking members to Save the Date for February 26, as the 4Cs and other unions and supporters are planning actions around the state and country.

If you have not recommitted to the union by signing a new membership form, please take a moment to sign it now here.

ebenson January 25th, 2018

Posted In: Unions

Tags: front recent

The 4Cs submitted comments on November 20 in opposition to the proposed consolidation. Read the 4Cs full statement here.

The 4Cs is encouraging our members to attend the BOR meeting on Thursday, December 14. The meeting will take place at 10am at the CSCU System Office, Regents Boardroom, ground floor, 61 Woodland Street in Hartford.

There will be an opportunity to address the board, but it is limited to 60 minutes (30 for students and 30 for faculty, staff, and public). Sign up will begin at 8:30am in the meeting room.

Look for additional information or text 1214BOR to 787753 (the 4Cs will never charge for texts, but message & data rates may apply).

ebenson November 29th, 2017

Posted In: Consolidation, Unions

Tags: front recent

On November 4, the 4Cs Delegate Assembly held its first meeting since the CSCU Restructuring proposal was presented at the October 19th BOR meeting. The Delegate Assembly voted to oppose the Students First plan as proposed. Concerns were voiced by the elected representatives from our twelve community college campuses; all of the concerns centered around the fact that while the plan may be named “Students First,” in reality, it does not appear to put students first. The plan seems to add layers of bureaucracy, potentially moves services further from students, limits local faculty curriculum oversight, and contains components of failed “no student left behind” concepts. Further, we need to preserve the “community” – the unique identities and local autonomy of our colleges.

The 4Cs is working on a more comprehensive statement that will be submitted to the BOR. If you would like to submit a comment that you think should be included in our statement, please send it to Ellen@the4cs.org.

In the meantime, we urge all of our members to attend the “Students First” presentation by President Mark Ojakian on Tuesday at noon; President Ojakian will be presenting from Capital Community College, and it will be webcast simultaneously to all campuses. If you plan to travel to Capital Community College, and we urge you to do so if possible, please let us know.

Together We Rise, in Solidarity!

ebenson November 6th, 2017

Posted In: BOR, Consolidation, Unions

Tags: front recent

This week, we celebrate Campus Equity Week!

According to their website, ” The national Campus Equity Week campaign (CEW) seeks to promote awareness of the harmful consequences of the precarious situation of faculty in higher education, to organize for action, and to build solidarity among stakeholders. CEW has expanded activism within the higher education labor movement and led to significant gains in equity (increases in compensation and due process protections), largely among faculty represented by unions. Only a small minority of non-tenure-track faculty in the U.S. are members of collective bargaining units” (https://www.campusequity2017.com/about-cew).

The 4Cs has set up tables on some of our campuses to provide some visibility to this important event!