Council 4 Unplugged

Council 4 Unplugged co-hosts Renee Hamel and Lauren Takores speak with former Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill on the early voting ballot measure, and with Council 4 Legislative & Political Director Zak Leavy and Council 4 PEOPLE Committee Chair Stephen Wierbicki on member political engagement.

Front-line blood collection workers employed by the American Red Cross are rallying for a fair contract and safe staffing levels. AFSCME Local 3145 President Joe Tine and Council 4 Staff Rep Scott Soares join us to discuss  how and Red Cross workers are mobilizing in Connecticut and nationwide.   Click here to tell Red Cross that front line workers deserve a fair contract

Council 4 member-leaders Harold Brooks (Local 3144), Patricia Davis (Local 318) and Claudine Wilkins-Chambers (Local 3429) reflect on Black History Month and the role unions must play in strengthening labor and civil rights.

Council 4 Unplugged co-hosts Renee Hamel and Larry Dorman visit with the newly elected Connecticut AFL-CIO leaders, President Ed Hawthorne and Executive Vice President Shellye Davis.

Donald Cohen, executive director of In the Public Interest, joins us to discuss his new book, “The Privatization of Everything.”

On this episode we discuss what to do when you're hurt on the job, trends in workers compensation policy and the important role unions play in advocating for injured workers. Our guests are Eric Rentz of the CT Workers Compensation Commission and Council 4 Rep Brett Owen, who chairs our union's Workers Compensation Committee.

A team of occupational safety experts and front-line correctional employees is developing the tools to help workers cope with job-related mental health stressors. The study holds great promise not just for prison employees, but all workers. Our guests are Asst. Professor Sara Namazi of Springfield College; AFSCME Local 391 President Collin Provost; and Local 391 Executive Board member Stan Sudduth.

With less than 2 weeks away from the end of the legislative session, Council 4 Legislative and Political Coordinator, Brian Anderson, takes us through where we are at with passing a fair budget and important bills that will protect and uplift workers. We also discuss the importance of the PEOPLE Committee and being engaged in this year's municipal election.   Click here to urge Governor Lamont and your legislators to provide pandemic hazard pay to essential workers    

Connecticut is well situated to make genuine progress in addressing its core economic problems by investing in public services, however that has not been the case since the Great Recession. Jennifer Klein, Yale History Professor, and Shahrzad Habibi, In The Public Interest Research and Policy Director, join us to discuss their report “Austerity Versus Reinvestment.” Ed Hawthorne, Vice President of AFSCME Local 269, also shares how disinvestment has hurt the CT Department of Labor in helping unemployed residents impacted by the pandemic.   Click here to read the “Austerity Versus Reinvestment” report Click here to learn more about the Rally For A Fully Funded DOL on Saturday, April 17.

Connecticut is plagued by the inter-related problems of wealth inequality and a regressive tax structure. COVID-19 has made it all worse. Emily Byrne, the Executive Director of CT Voices, addresses these issues and provides useful policy prescriptions.

In this two-part series, we discuss the statewide election and worker-focused policy priorities for the next legislative session. Our guests include two new legislators, State Representatives-Elect Kate Farrar (West Hartford) and Mike DiGiovancarlo (Waterbury), as well as Council 4 Political and Legislative Coordinators, Brian Anderson and Zak Leavy.

Election day is almost here and COVID-19 has changed the voting landscape. Secretary of State Denise Merrill and Local 2663 member and New Haven Alderperson Jeanette Morrison join us to talk about how they're working to engage voters ahead of Nov. 3.

On this episode, we explore the challenges of safely reopening our public schools during COVID-19. Our guests are on the frontline of representing school employees: Council 4 Secretary Stacie Harris-Byrdsong of AFSCME Local 3194 (Capitol Region Education Council); Dan McGinley of AFSCME Local 1303-087 (Putnam Custodians); and Council 4 Staff Representative Tricia Santos.

Michele Evermore of the National Employment Law Project and Xavier Gordon of AFSCME Local 269 (representing the CT Department of Labor) join us to discuss the struggles facing unemployed workers and the political fight over unemployment insurance benefits.

Congressman Joe Courtney from CT’s 2nd District joins us to talk about the impact of the pandemic, and the need for a robust federal aid package to support our state, cities and towns. 

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Local 3144 President Harold Brooks, who co-chairs our union's Civil Rights Committee, join us to talk about the importance of participating in the 2020 Census. 

Steve Schrag and Mike Fitts of the CT Council on Occupational Safety and Health join us on Workers Memorial Day (April 28) to talk about the continuing struggle to protect workers during the coronavirus crisis.

Hartford Courant reporter Rebecca Lurye shares her perspective as a journalist covering the city of Hartford and as unit chair of the Hartford Courant News Guild, the newly formed union at Connecticut's oldest paper.

How is Connecticut really doing? We turn to Comptroller Kevin Lembo for fact-based answers on this episode of Council 4 Unplugged. The Comptroller tackles many topical issues, including the certified savings yielded by the 2017 SEBAC agreement, a program to improve access to health care for municipal employees and an initiative to improve government transparency.

Federal, state and local governmental bodies spend $7 trillion of our tax dollars on public services. Is it any wonder big corporations want a piece of that? Donald Cohen of In The Public Interest joins Council 4 to discuss the latest trends in privatization and outsourcing, and how unions must be engaged in the campaign to stop private interests from subverting the public good.

Pamela Puchalski and Steve Schrag of the Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety & Health join us to talk about the fight for safe and healthy workplaces. Thanks to the efforts of unions and safety advocates like COSH, the lives of more than half a million workers have been saved by strengthening workplace protections. There is much more work to be done, as we learn in a wide-ranging discussion.

Municipal election day is Nov. 5, 2019. We visit with two Council 4 members and local office holders who are running for reelection: Manchester Mayor Jay Moran (Local 2836) and Middletown Common Councilor Phil Pessina (Local 1361 retiree).

State correctional officers are pioneering a new kind of employee assistance program through their unions. Our guests are Aaron Lichwalla (AFSCME Local 387), Michael Vargo (AFSCME Local 1565) and Millie Brown (CSEA).

College students Andrea Dominguez and Alexandra Guerrera share their experience and perspective after working with us as AFSCME Union Scholar Interns.

Alisha Blake of the Connecticut Coalition for Retirement Security joins us to talk about the impact of public pensions and the threats to our retirement security.

The 2019 state legislative session brought some victories for working people. Council 4 legislative advocates Brian Anderson and Zak Leavy discuss the outcome and the challenges ahead.

The UConn Health Center is looking to partner with a private corporation – a move that imperils patient care, education and research. Health Center employees Chris DeFranceso (UHP Local 3837) and Elizabeth Appel and Janice Oliveri (UCHC AAUP) talk about the importance of keeping their cherished institution in public hands.

We visit with retired labor leader Leo Canty, who toured the 10 happiest countries in the world, and found a shared respect for workers' rights and the need for a strong social safety net. 

Council 4 members Frank Ladore (Local 2836) and Jeremy Whetzel (Local 818) join us to talk about our union's new Conservative Caucus.

We visit with Lindsey Farrell, State Director of Connecticut Working Families, to learn about the campaigns to raise Connecticut's minimum wage and enact paid family and medical leave.

We go in depth with Council 4 Education Coordinator Joe Aresimowicz, who begins his second term as the Speaker of the State House of Representatives, and talks about his union roots.

Council 4 Political Coordinator joins us to analyze the 2018 election results in Connecticut and to look ahead to the 2019 legislative session.

John Humphries of the CT Roundtable on Climate & Jobs joins us for a timely discussion on the interconnection between labor and environmental issues. 

AFSCME Local 749 members who work at the state's two juvenile detention centers are dealing with the fallout of severe staffing shortages, resulting in forced overtime and workplace injuries.

On this episode, we talk to Council 4 union members Caitlin Clarkson-Pereira of Local 2836 and Tony Gennaro of Local 1361, who are running for State Representative.  Caitlin Clarkson Pereira for State Representative   Tony Gennaro for State Representative 100th District  

Correctional Officers and AFSCME Local 387 members Brian Larson and Ginny Ligi talk about the challenges of their job, the importance of their union, and how they're preparing for the Supreme Court's Janus v. AFSCME decision

Newly elected Council 4 Executive Director Jody Barr talks about his background and the challenges facing organized labor. We also check in with Council 4 legislative advocates Brian Anderson and Zak Leavy about the Supreme Court's pro-corporate tilt.

Recently retired Council 4 Executive Director Sal Luciano reflects on his experiences leading our union and the challenging facing the labor movement.

AFSCME Local 749 members John Lanefski and Sotonye Otunba-Payne explain the challenges of working as courtroom monitors and the importance of unions to their lives and the broader economy. We also hear from Council 4 lobbyist Brian Anderson about the latest corporate-backed attacks on workers in the Connecticut legislature.

Montville police officer Karen Moorehead is training for the Boston Marathon on the fifth anniversary of the terrorist bombing. We also look at a commission of CEOs and ultra-rich people who want to decimate collective bargaining rights. 

Learn more about a Supreme Court case aimed at weakening unions and all workers. We also talk with a school paraprofessional whose personal and professional lives were touched by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his support of union workers.

We talk with two former Dept. of Correction employees who successfully fought back against sexual harassment in the early 2000s -- and how their union made a difference.

The Senate Tax Bill is a gift to corporations and the wealthy. Who will pay the price?

Council 4's legislative advocates Brian Anderson and Zak Leavy are on hand to put a wrap on the legislative session that ended Nov. 15, to assess the 2017 election results, and preview what lies ahead in 2018.