The General Assembly adjourned its 2016 legislative session last night at midnight.  Attached is a tentative legislative session summary.  It outlines our wins and losses and probably represents 95% of actions important to AFT Connecticut and its members.  I will be updating this document as needed.

The General Assembly did not adopt a budget before adjournment.  A special session is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 12 to adopt a budget.  The negotiated budget between House/Senate Democrats and the Governor has not been printed, but the documents we saw yesterday public services and public servants by more than $800M and could result in a reduction of 4,000-5,000 state employee positions.  It would also slash municipal aid, putting strains on town and board of education budgets. 

Please contact your legislators and the Governor before May 12 and let them know that an austerity budget is not a solution for Connecticut’s budget shortfall. 

Letter to legislators: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/legislators-vote-to-protect-cts-quality-of-life?source=direct_link&

Hundreds of the AFT's nurses and health professionals came to Washington, D.C., April 20-22 to raise their voices on the issues affecting frontline workers and their patients. The theme of this year's Professional Issues Conference and Labor Academy, "Where the Front Line Meets the Bottom Line," describes the challenges we are seeing today, said Candice Owley, chair of the AFT Nurses and Health Professionals program and policy council and an AFT vice president, in her opening remarks.

A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that violence is a daily and growing threat for America's 15 million healthcare workers. Union members from Connecticut last week joined other caregivers and elected leaders for the formal release of the congressional watchdog's comprehensive study. Among its findings are escalating rates and severity of workplace violence in hospitals and healthcare facilities across the nation.