"I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem. To me, it's part of the solution. You cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement."      

                      -- President Barack Obama, Jan. 30, 2009

BE SURE TO CHECK THE CALENDAR PAGE EVERY WEEK...

...and go to our Action Center to see actions you can take now to support working people.

Out-of-control health care costs are forcing working families to forgo needed medical care and shredding family bank accounts, while private health insurance companies deny claims and, far too often, refuse to provide coverage. The results of the 2009 Health Care for America Survey—sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America—show that more than half of the 23,460 people who took the survey cannot get the health care they need at a price they can afford and one-third say they forgo basic medical care because of its high price. Read More>>

CT group warns state budget cuts would undermine economic recovery 

Even before the current recession began, Connecticut’s job conditions were worse than they were before the last recession at the beginning of the decade, according to a new report by Connecticut Voices for Children. In addition, the portion of unemployed workers who have been looking for jobs for more than 26 weeks is higher in Connecticut than in any New England state. Problems with the state’s economic engine extend beyond rising unemployment, however. Connecticut has been losing higher wage manufacturing jobs and gaining lower wage service sector jobs, and the leading area of economic growth – the health and education job sector -- is threatened by the prospect of severe state budget cuts.

The report, The State of Working Connecticut: Job Trends and the Labor Market, concludes that state government needs to take greater, not less responsibility for supporting Connecticut workers and creating higher-wage jobs. Severe state budget cuts would only worsen economic conditions for families in the state, according to the state policy thinktank.  (Read more...)

On Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 the Connecticut AFL-CIO held a ceremony to commemorate Workers' Memorial Day in honor of the workers who were injured or killed on the job and they broke ground for a permanent workers' memorial in Bushnell Park, Hartford.

Union voters played an important role in President-elect Barack Obama's historic victory, delivering a critical bloc of support in swing states that helped propel Obama and other worker-friendly candidates to big wins on Nov. 4, according to polling data from the AFL-CIO.

High turnout among working-class union voters in states like Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania formed a foundation of support for Obama. In new battleground states like Colorado, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, the AFL-CIO mounted a bigger effort than ever before, and union members voted by large margins for Obama.

AFL-CIO union members across battleground states supported Obama by a 68 percent to 30 percent margin, according to an election-night survey conducted for the AFL-CIO by Peter D. Hart Research Associates.   (Read more…)

CONNECTICUT LEGISLATORS' SCORECARD

The Connecticut AFL-CIO has created a guide used to score state legislators' voting records on issues of importance to Connecticut working women and men over the years. It's a tool that can be of great value to your members.

The Greater Hartford Labor Council, AFL-CIO represents over 25,000 members of 70 unions throughout north central Connecticut. The mission of the Greater Hartford Labor Council, AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families—to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our state and the nation.

Read more...   (and read the latest Delegates' meeting minutes at bottom of page)