State of theUnion General Election, 2014
Malloy-Wyman: A Real Record We Can Rely On
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s citizens, one of our most important -- and our most personal -- decisions is how we vote at the ballot box. And for members of AFT Connecticut, that decision has even greater significance in this year’s gubernatorial election. After carefully reviewing the records of both parties’ tickets, AFT Connecticut’s Executive Committee in June made the recommendation to trust our future to Governor Dannel Malloy and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman. Since then, members have been talking about the important choices we face in this year’s election and the important votes we’ll be casting on November 4. “As a healthcare worker, I am proud to support Governor Malloy,” said Harry Rodriguez, (right) a Lawrence + Memorial Hospital health unit coordinator and president of the L&M Healthcare Workers Union. “When nurses, LPNs and technicians were locked out at the hospital, Governor Malloy walked the picket line with us and (continued on page 4)
Why Connecticut Cannot Afford a “Wisconsin Moment”
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his year’s mid-terms have generated a heightened interest among not just among union members but all working families because of the war on the middle class happening across the country. Connecticut has been an exception to the stripping of workers’ rights that’s been going on in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and New Jersey since the 2010 elections. But members of AFT Connecticut’s unions are right to be concerned about their future when politicians like gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley publicly call for a “Wisconsin moment” in Connecticut.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Delivers Keynote Speech at Connecticut GOP Annual Fundraiser in Stamford in 2013
Beyond the Rhetoric Members have asked if Mr. Foley is elected on November 4, what would bringing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s policies to Connecticut mean for educators, public employees and all union members? Within months of the 2010 election, Governor Walker and his political allies in the legislature passed “Act 10,” effectively outlawing collective bargaining for teachers, municipal and state employees. A “Wisconsin moment” puts workers in Connecticut in jeopardy of the same kind of political attack, risking fundamental rights “Vote Row C” for Working Families
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to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions. As the Badger State learned, a “Wisconsin moment” would permanently tilt the balance of power against educators, state workers, higher education faculty, and nurses and health professionals. Governor Walker opposed fair wages and slashed education funding by $2.6 billion -- the deepest cut in that state’s history -- while supporting tax breaks for corporations and millionaires.
Mr. Foley’s Vision
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November 4: Time to Choose Your Future
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Question 1? The Clear Answer is YES!
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“Vote Row C” for Working Families
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he Connecticut Working Families Party is an independent political party founded by unions like ours. AFT Connecticut is affiliated with Working Families because together we bring greater strength to the fight on the issues that really matter: good jobs, affordable health care, and a secure retirement. And when you vote on the Working Families Party line on your election ballot, your vote is doing the most to build power for working and middle class families. On Election Day this year, the Working Families ballot line is Row C. Each year Working Families looks at every candidate -- Democrats, Republicans and independents -- and only endorses those who have a record of standing up for the economic interests of hardworking Connecticut families. The organization only supports candidates who are going to be champions for working and middle class families. Having elected officials who aren’t just on our side, but will fight hard for us, means our union is more effective at passing legislation that helps our families. Often Working Families endorses candidates from one of the major political parties. When you vote for a candidate from a major party on the Working Families line, your vote counts the same, and it’s like putting the “union label” on your ballot. Any candidate who appears on the Working Families Party line and another party line will have their vote totals from both lines added together. For instance, all the votes for Dannel Malloy on the Working Families Party line get added to his total number of votes. So voting for him on the Working Families Party line counts towards his re-election and sends a message to all politicians that you want their focus to be on working and middle class families. [Editor’s note: access more information on the Connecticut Working Families Party at their website at www.ct-workingfamilies.org.]
A “Wisconsin Moment”... (continued from page 1) Simply emulating Governor Walker would be reason enough to oppose Mr. Foley’s bid to lead our state. But his own policy proposals from the campaign trail -- combined with his record as a private equity investor and business owner -offer additional rationale for rejecting his candidacy. By calling for school grades, indistrict school “choice” and marketbased “Money Follows the Child” funding, Mr. Foley would strip resources from struggling schools and widen Connecticut’s achievement gap. Mr. Foley has also said that consolidations and converting non-profit acute care facilities to for-profit hospitals should be “performance-related,” citing Third class postage paid at Hartford, CT
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cost, rather than patient access, as a primary concern. And Mr. Foley has recently said that with current collective bargaining agreements expiring soon, the next governor will have an opportunity to cut state employee wages. Then there’s Mr. Foley’s position on basic protections and benefits that all workers deserve. He claimed that workers exploit and abuse paid sick leave, saying it actually worsens “the business climate.” Finally, consider Mr. Foley’s troubling business record. His own former employees are speaking out about a war waged against their union in their small Pennsylvania factory town in the early 1990s. A UAW member who was among hundreds to be replaced during a [Editor’s note: this special edition of “State of the Union” is paid for by AFT Connecticut and is intended for members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated unions only. It is not paid for or endorsed by any political party or candidate’s campaign.]
threeyear strike warned our state’s voters in comments to the Connecticut Post in mid-October. He said, “if Tom Foley’s running for governor, he’s not for the working people. He won’t sit down and talk to you.” [Editor’s note: previous “AFT Votes” alerts with responses to some of Tom Foley’s policy proposals are online in the “Take Action” section of our website at www.aftct.org.]
Melodie Peters President Stephen McKeever First Vice President Jean Morningstar Second Vice President Ed Leavy Secretary/Treasurer Matt O’Connor Communications Coordinator
November 4: Time to Choose Your Future
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ow you vote in the General Election is a personal choice. To help, the list of constitutional amendments and candidates appearing on the November 4 ballot for congress, state constitutional office, and the legislature endorsed by AFT Committee’s Executive Committee follows. We encourage you to take this list with you to the voting booth and consider your union’s recommendations as you make your choices:
U.S. Congress: 1st U.S. House District: Rep. John Larson 2nd U.S. House District: Rep. Joe Courtney 3rd U.S. House District: Rep. Rosa DeLauro 4th U.S. House District: Rep. Jim Himes 5th U.S. House District: Rep. Elizabeth Esty CT Constitutional Amendment: Question 1: YES to to remove restrictions concerning absentee ballots and to permit a person to vote without appearing at a polling place on the day of an election. CT Constitutional Officers: Governor: Gov. Dannel Malloy Lieutenant Governor: Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman Attorney General: AG George Jepsen Treasurer: Treasurer Denise Nappier Secretary of the State: Secretary Denise Merrill Comptroller: Comptroller Kevin Lembo CT Legislature- Senate: 1st District: Sen. John Fonfara 2nd District: Sen. Eric Coleman 4th District: Sen. Steve Cassano 5th District: Sen. Beth Bye 6th District: Sen. Terry Gerratana 10th District: Sen. Gary Holder-Winfield 11th District: Sen. Martin Looney 13th District: Sen. Dante Bartolomeo 17th District: Sen. Joseph Crisco 18th District: Sen. Andrew Maynard 19th District: Sen. Cathy Osten 20th District: Rep. Betsy Ritter 22nd District: Marilyn Moore 28th District: Rep. Kim Fawcett 29th District: Rep. Mae Flexer 31st District: Robert Michalik, Jr. 33rd District: Emily Bjornberg 35th District: Sen. Tony Guglielmo CT Legislature - House: 1st District: Rep. Matt Ritter 6th District: Rep. Edwin Vargas
15th District: Rep. David Baram 18th District: Rep. Andrew Fleischmann 20th District: Rep. Joe Verrengia 21st District: Rep. Mike Demicco 22nd District: Rep. Betty Boukus 23rd District: Mary Stone 24th District: Rep. Rick Lopes 25th District: Rep. Robert Sanchez 27th District: Carol Anest 28th District: Rep. Russ Morin 30th District: Rep.Joe Aresimowicz 38th District: Marc Balastracci 41st District: Rep. Elissa Wright 42nd District: Rep. Tim Bowles 44th District: Christine Rosati 46th District: Rep. Emmett Riley 47th District: Rep. Brian Sear 48th District: Rep. Linda Orange 49th District: Rep. Susan Johnson 54th District: Rep. Greg Haddad 58th District: Rep. David Alexander 59th District: Rep. David Kiner 60th District: Rep. Peggy Sayers 63rd District: Marie Solani 64th District: Rep. Roberta Willis 65th District: Rep. Michelle Cook 72nd District: Rep. Larry Butler 73rd District: Rep. Jeff Berger 80th District: John “Corky” Mazurek 83rd District: Rep. Cathy Abercrombie 84th District: Rep. Hilda Santiago 85th District: Rep. Mary Mushinsky 89th District: Vickie Nardello 90th District: Rep. Mary Fritz 98th District: Sean Scanlon 99th District: Rep. James Albis 100th District: Rep. Matt Lesser 101st District: Alex Taubes 103rd District: Kristen Selleck 104th District: Rep. Linda Gentile 109th District: Rep. David Arconti 110th District: Rep. Bob Godfrey 115th District: Rep. Stephen Dargan 118th District: Rep. Kim Rose 127th District: Rep. Jack Hennessy 133rd District: Cristin McCarthy Vahey 137rd District: Rep. Chris Perone 139th District: Rep. Kevin Ryan 140th District: Rep. Bruce Morris 142nd District: Andy Garfunkel 143rd District: Keith Rodgerson STATE OF THE UNION
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Malloy-Wyman... (continued from page 1) worked behind the scenes to bring resolution.,” Harry added. “As a retired public employee and union member, this election is very important to me,” said former Hartford Public Schools paraprofessional and past AFT Connecticut PSRP Council Chair Betty Gadson (left). “I trust Governor Malloy and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman to protect the pensions and healthcare benefits we earned and to preserve the safety net of services for those who did not benefit from collective bargaining the way we have done,” Betty added. “He’s the first governor in recent history who has put money into this state’s pension fund; the two previous governors raided it,” said Keith Inrig (right), a radiographer who this summer retired from the UConn Health Center and served as 1st-vice president of the University Health
• NOVEMBER 4th •
Allow Early Voting and better use of absentee ballots.
Professionals. “Gov. Malloy promised that he would not come back to state employees for more -- and he’s kept that word.” The governor himself recently addressed the 2011 cost-savings and job security agreement that Keith refers to -- and went a step further. To the leaders of AFT Connecticut unions representing state employees he said “our administration honored the collective bargaining process and negotiated an agreement that helped our state as a whole during the worst economic recession of our times. Those were long and hard negotiations for all involved, and so we intend to honor these agreements through the end of the contracts without calling for additional concessions or layoffs.” On the issues that matter to working families -- jobs with good wages and benefits -- the record is clear. That’s why AFT Connecticut’s Executive Committee took its collective responsibility seriously and backed the re-election of the Malloy-Wyman team on November 4. [Editor’s note: previous “AFT Votes” alerts with highlights from the Malloy-Wyman Administration’s record are online in the “Take Action” section of our website at www.aftct.org.]
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Question 1? The Clear Answer is YES! election day there will be a state constitutional
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amendment question on the ballot. QUESTION 1 is neimprove only need look at last year’s Municipal Elections designed to voter turnout by removing impediments that to see that Connecticut has a voter turn-out problem. Statewide, only 31% often discourage eligible voters from participating. With the of those who were registered cast ballots. This,1,despite thecould fact that residents approval of QUESTION state law be revised, withwere able to choose which candidates would make decisionstoonallow vitally important issues appropriate safeguards, Early Voting andlocal better use ofimpacting schools and public services. ballots, which could help eligible voters. absentee
To boost civic engagement -- especially among working families -- Connecticut
AFT Connecticut QUESTION 1 because is a should follow thesupports lead of the more than 33 statesvoting that permit “early voting” and the 27 fundamental right that should be easily exercised. A YES states that will mail an absentee ballot to any eligible voter who requests one. vote on QUESTION 1 could make it easier for working Passage of a State Constitutional Amendment would allow Connecticut to do both. families to participate in our democracy.
That’s why AFT Connecticut’s Executive Committee has endorsed a YES vote on Question 1 on the November 4th ballot. VOTE [Editor’s note:YES accessON moreQUESTION information on 1! the constitutional amendment in the “Question 1 - Vote YES for a Stronger Democracy” post in the “Politics” page at our website at www.aftct.org.]
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