Inside Council 4 092622

Public Service Proud: Back to school with union members on the job

By Lauren Takores and Renee Hamel, Council 4 staff

AFSCME Council 4 members employed in public schools provide a range of support outside of the classroom: school security, food service, college and career planning, student health

As a new school year starts, we spoke with some of our members who work as school support staff about how they contribute to student success and how the union, in turn, supports them

Megan Magoveny and Kelly Boyle

School resource officers Megan Magoveny, a 16 year veteran of the Wallingford Police Department, and Kelly Boyle, who’s been a Wallingford police officer for 10 years, are members of AFSCME Local 1570

The school resource officer (SRO) program began in Wallingford schools in 2018

Magoveny, who has been an SRO since the program launched, splits her time between Wallingford’s two high schools

Her goal is to change the perception of police officers in schools to how it can be a positive thing for everyone students, staff and even parents

“I've been in the yearbook here,” Magoveny said “I'm utilized as a staff member, and I think that is an amazing accomplishment for all of us involved, to be able to be perceived as a staff member and not just a police officer ”

Magoveny previously served as the town’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer a program Boyle wants

to bring back to Wallingford’s two middle schools, where she is the dedicated SRO

Boyle said the scope of the DARE program has expanded from drug abuse prevention to give students the tools they need to make good decisions, navigate peer pressure and responsibly use the internet

“You really need it,” Boyle said “Especially after Covid, with kids being home doing virtual learning, it's definitely affected them ”

Wallingford’s police union represents 65 members

Jean Miller

As the administrative secretary for Glastonbury High School’s College and Career Center, Jean Miller can say her work has made a difference to students

In her four years with the program, she has been instrumental in expanding the scope of services students can receive when navigating post high school life

“We make sure that everything kids can think of to do after high school whether it's college, military, gap year, trade school or going right to work that they feel they are as equal to everyone,” Miller said

Miller serves as president of Local 1185, representing 135 full time educational secretaries and paraprofessionals in Glastonbury schools

In her six years serving as local president, Miller has witnessed

the difference a union makes

She understands her role in looking out for members’ careers while being someone they can go to for questions, support and a listening ear

“The thing I feel the union has done for me personally is to understand we are all stronger together than as individuals,” Miller said “I never understood how supportive a union environment really is until I got in one myself Having that union contract to work with and to work under makes you stronger ”

Shirley Mone

Shirley Mone has been preparing and serving school lunch for Bristol Public Schools for 17 years.

In an hour and 45 minutes, she helps feed roughly 700 kids daily at Chippens Hill Middle School

See Back to school, page 3

INSIDE: Web stories, 2 &3 Highlights, 4 & 5 Calendar, 6 Social media, 6

Wallingford school resource officers Kelly Boyle, left, and Megan Magoveny, AFSCME Local 1570, stand outside Sheehan High School, Aug 23, 2022 │Lauren Takores, Council 4 staff

Cafeteria worker Shirley Mone, AFSCME Local 2667, takes a break before the lunch waves start at Chippens Hill Middle School in Bristol, May 3, 2022│By Renee Hamel, Council 4 staff

Strong showing from Council 4 at union conventions

By Renee Hamel, Council 4 staff

Union conventions are staple gatherings for members to build solidarity, take part in democratic governance of their union and become re energized to continue in growing the labor movement.

This summer, Council 4 members served as delegates for two union conventions held biannually Connecticut AFL CIO political convention and AFSCME International convention

Members voted on resolutions, heard inspiring speakers and participated in workshops These spaces provided an opportunity for members to connect across unions or states and hone their leadership skills

Connecticut AFL CIO convention focuses on politics

Council 4 sent the largest delegation of union members to Connecticut AFL CIO’s political

convention at the end of June at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino a unionized facility

Ninety two delegates from Council 4 were among representatives from more than 100 local unions, labor chapters, building trades councils and area labor federations who attended the convention

Delegates endorsed the AFL CIO’s recommended candidates for the U S Senate and House, all statewide offices including gubernatorial, and the state General Assembly They heard speeches from candidates running for state office and U S Senator Richard Blumenthal

A panel titled Understanding Racism and the Boomerang Effect of Implicit Bias in our Union featured Council 4 Secretary Stacie Harris Byrdsong and Staff Representative Patrick

Sampson, who also serves as president of the Black Trade Unionists

“I wanted [members] to be empowered to address the sometimes blatant racism in our unions,” Byrdsong said, “and know that they have an ally in me to help eradicate the scourge of racism ”

Museum rally highlight of AFSCME convention

After a two year hiatus as a result of the pandemic, AFSCME’s 45th International Convention convened in Philadelphia during the second week of July

Approximately 2,000 AFSCME delegates attended the “All Together” themed week long convention, which included about 80 members from 19 Council 4 locals, many of whom were first time attendees

Pandemic pay update for state workers

By Larry Dorman, Council 4 staff

Front line essential state workers sacrificed their health and safety throughout COVID 19 to ensure that the critical public services our 3 6 million Connecticut residents rely on remained accessible.

While Connecticut can never fully repay front line essential workers (private, municipal and state), it can certainly take a step to respect these workers Pandemic pay is that step

State officials have allocated $35 million for State employees and the Connecticut National Guard SEBAC leaders have been in on going negotiations with the State to reach an agreement on the allocation of these funds to ensure that there is a risk based approach applied to the monies where essential state workers most at risk would receive the highest compensation

SEBAC leaders expect to either reach an agreement or enter into arbitration in the next month and

look forward to updating members at that time

In addition to our fight for state employee pandemic pay, SEBAC has supported other efforts to compensate municipal and private sector workers for their sacrifice

SEBAC’s sustained advocacy for workers’ compensation presumption helped lead to the creation of the Connecticut Essential Worker COVID 19 Relief Fund and Premium Pay Program Under this program, essential workers including state employees and their families impacted by COVID 19 can apply to receive lost wages, out of pocket medical expenses and burial costs

In August, the Office of the State Comptroller opened a portal for private sector front line workers to apply for up to $1,000 of pandemic pay, on a first come, first served basis, from the $30 million allocated to private sector pandemic pay during the 2022

legislative session The application deadline is Oct 1

SEBAC leadership continues to advocate for pandemic hero pay on behalf of our members, and will not rest in those efforts to secure monetary recognition of our state members’ sacrifices throughout COVID 19 We will keep you updated on our

Throughout the week, Council 4 delegates used their leadership skills and expertise in their field to advocate for important union changes and create spaces for learning.

Sabrina Agbede, Local 749 vice president representing Judicial Branch employees, spoke on the convention floor surrounded by her union brothers and sisters in favor of a resolution which stated that locals would make a commitment to conducting new employee outreach

The resolution, which passed overwhelmingly

“Since creating the new hire coordinator role and doing member worksite visits, our local went from a list of 300 to over 1,300 contacts,” Agbede said

Read full convention coverage online

negotiations with the administration

State workers were not included in the $30 million set aside for private front line essential workers because an additional $35 million was allocated for state and Connecticut National Guard workers.

Read more on pandemic pay online

Back to school

From page 1

Mone, a member of Local 2667, goes beyond preparing and serving food She makes a point to do a wellness check on students she sees are not eating

“You find a teacher or an aid that’s on cafeteria duty,” Mone said

“We try to find out what’s going on with that student to make sure they are eating We don’t know all their stories ”

Mone not only makes sure all of her students are fed, but she’s active in the fight for fair wages for her cafeteria staff

Last July, their 83 member bargaining unit, which includes custodians, maintainers and paraprofessionals, settled what Local 2267 President Chad Lockhart described as “one of the best contracts in the city ”

“Shirley is very active, doesn’t let

Contracts settlements include higher wages

By Lauren Takores, Council 4 staff

The months of June and July can be a busy time for collective bargaining agreement settlements, with many contracts going into effect July 1, the start of the fiscal year

Members of AFSCME Local 1303 392, representing a group of 45 Litchfield school employees, ratified a two year contract on June 3, effective July 1, which the Litchfield Board of Education approved at its meeting June 9

Local 1303 392 includes educational assistants, information technology specialists, secretaries, the network systems manager, custodians, custodial assistants/cleaners, the maintenance technician and school building maintenance technician

The unit, excluding custodians who negotiated last year, got a 4 percent general wage increase (GWI) for two years. In two years, the whole unit negotiates together again

Negotiations went smoothly and the contract was negotiated in one

session, Staff Representative Tricia Johnson said

“The unit not only received the 4 percent, but also restructured their time off, added a sick leave bank and kept the insurance the same at the same premium cost share,” she said

“The unit also achieved payment for snow days, delayed opening and early dismissals as well as pay for paras that cover for classroom teachers ”

In July, Council 4 AFSCME settled contracts with GWIs for five locals in three towns

West Hartford school custodians in Local 1303 39 and school maintenance workers in Local 1303 61 both settled five year contracts July 5 The contracts went into effect July 1

“Union members in these bargaining units overwhelmingly ratified the tentative agreements,” said Council 4 Staff Representative Travis Cromack, who works with both locals

The custodians’ local, which

includes part time custodians and just over 100 members, won a 3 percent GWI for the next three years and a 2 5 percent GWI for the two following years, plus step increases for all years in the contract

The maintenance local, a smaller group of 20 members, won a 3 percent GWI for all five years

The union also obtained substantial wage increases for full time and part time employees over the course of the new contract

“These employees received substantial increases due to how low they were previously paid,” Cromack said

Under the old pay schedule, workers were only receiving a 2 25 percent GWI Under the new contract, Step 1 employees will receive a pay increase of 16.78 percent Step 2 will receive a 14.94 percent increase and Step 3 will receive a 14 76 percent increase

Read more about recent contract wage wins online

things go, and is on top of things,” Lockhart said.

Jessica Paquette, Roz Laing, Donna Barrett

The nurse’s office team at Francis Walsh Intermediate School in Branford began preparing for the new school year on Aug 25, a week before school resumed.

There were student health forms to update, parent calls to return, doctor’s notes to file, student medications and EpiPens to store

Jessica Paquette, one of Walsh’s two school nurses and Local 1303 365 president, has the help of Walsh’s second school nurse, Roz Laing, and school district health aide Donna Barrett, who travels to each school one day a week

“We're the only school in Branford that has the two nurses because we're the busiest, biggest school,” Paquette said

Paquette became her local’s president when the more senior nurses retired or moved on

“I kind of inherited [the position],” she said “I think we're a really strong group We always get each other's opinions about everything. We have really good communication ”

Barrett said that the other nurses in the school district have been a great support

Read more about our members getting ready for back to school online

Glastonbury High School’s college and career center administrative secretary Jean Miller, AFSCME Local 1185, stands in front of college banners, Aug 25, 2022│Contributed by Jean Miller

The school nurse team at Francis Walsh Intermediate School in Branford, Aug. 25, 2022. From left: nurses Jessica Paquette and Roz Laing, health aide Donna Barrett │Lauren Takores, Council 4 staff

Driver For A Day

Council 4 Executive Director Jody Barr visited members of AFSCME Local 1303 26 (Southington DPW) employees on Friday, Aug. 12. He spoke with the local president, Steve Pompei, about how the union provides municipal workers with pay protection and health care benefits.

National Night Out

Several towns hosted National Night Out events on Tuesday, Aug. 2, including the East Lyme Police Department where officers are represented by AFSCME Local 2852.

The events are designed to bring police and residents closer together.

New Haven book giveaway

Members in AFSCME Local 3429 (New Haven Paras), Local 3144 (City Supervisors), Local 884 (Classified Employees), Local 1303 71 (Clifford Beers) and Local 269 (CHRO) distributed books and backpacks, worked security and gave out info on community groups for families and children at a back to schoool event on Thursday, Aug. 18.

Donation to veterans' home

The Council 4 Retirees Chapter and the Veteran’s Committee each presented a donation of $10,000 on Thursday, Aug 25 at Veterans Home and Hospital in Rocky Hill to assist in the refurbishment of housing for the veterans, in memory of Steve Curran The retirees also donated $25,000 to renovation the auditorium.

Local 318's summer outing

Members of AFSCME Local 318 (NP-3 State Administrative and Clerical) celebrated their summer picnic on Friday, Aug. 26 at Council 4 in New Britain with friends, food trucks and fun.

Civil Rights Committee movie night hearing from

Several Council 4 members & staff attended the Civil Rights Committee’s summer movie night on Friday, Aug. 19, to watch “King in the Wilderness” a documentary examining the turmoil of last few years of Martin Luther King Jr.’s incredible life and his ill fated trip in 1968 to support AFSCME members in Memphis.

Summer outing for Local 196

A little rain and a lot of fun greeted AFSCME Local 196 (State Clerical Region 2) members at their summer outing at Holiday Hill in Prospect on Friday, Aug. 26.

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Upcoming Events

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Please check website calendar for updates

Sept. 28: Tips to Assist on Running an Effective Meeting workshop, virtual Oct. 4: Freedom of Information workshop, virtual

Oct 6: Council 4 Presidents +1 meeting, virtual Oct. 6: Council 4 Executive Board and Delegates meeting, virtual Oct. 12: Workers' Comp Review workshop, virtual

Oct 18: New Labor Friendly Laws for Public Employers workshop, virtual Oct. 21: ULA Softball Classic, Hartford

Oct 22: New Member Outreach for Leaders workshop, virtual Oct. 29: Duty of Fair Representation workshop, virtual Nov. 3: Council 4 Executive Board and Delegates meeting, virtual Nov 8: Election Day

Nov. 9: Tips to Assist on Running an Effective Meeting workshop, virtual Nov. 19: Estate Planning Workshop, New Britain

Nov 22: New Member Outreach for Leaders workshop, virtual Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13: Stewards Class 2, Three Part Training

Dec 1: Council 4 Executive Board and Delegates meeting, virtual Dec. 3: Workers' Comp Review workshop, virtual Dec. 17: Roles & Responsibilities of Local Officers workshop, virtual Informed

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Jody Barr, Executive Director

Bernie Bombardier, President Stacie Harris Byrdsong, Secretary

COUNCIL 4 STAFF

Troy Raccuia, Director of Collective Bargaining Kelly Martinez, Director of Organizing & Member Services

Amy O'Connor, Chief of Staff Megan Batchelder, Executive Assistant