On Monday, June 16, the Connecticut AFL-CIO — the state’s largest labor union — protested outside the Governor’s Mansion in Hartford, demanding that Gov. Ned Lamont sign a bill (S.B. 8) that would offer unemployment benefits to striking workers.
Despite the General Assembly passing the bill, the governor has stated he would veto it, as he did last year. Only Washington, New York and New Jersey have similar ‘pay striking workers’ benefits.
The protestors chanted typical slogans like “S.B. 8, it can’t wait” and “What do we want? S.B. 8! When do we want it? Now!” Additionally, union supporters indicated they would threaten to “Shut it down” — though it was unclear what exactly they would shut down if S.B. 8 was not signed.
Yet the day’s events turned hostile when union protesters vandalized a mobile billboard truck commissioned by Yankee Institute. The vehicle displayed messages urging Gov. Lamont to veto S.B. 8.
That was apparently too much. A group of protesters surrounded the truck, attempted to pry off the signs, and — when that didn’t work — someone in the crowd hurled an object at it, damaging the LED screen. A police report has been filed with the Hartford Police Department for the vandalism.
Union leadership, naturally, had nothing to say about the destruction. When a political opponent’s property gets smashed, silence is apparently what solidarity looks like.
The unions didn’t denounce the destruction — they practically cheered it on. The Connecticut Employees Union Independent (CEUI) responded not with embarrassment or apology, but with a chest-thumping post that read: “Anti-Union Yankee Institute thinks they can show up to our rally but we told them to hit the road!”
In another post, CEUI posed the question, “Who has the power? We got the power.”
Apparently “power” means mobbing a small business’s truck and vandalizing it for displaying an opposing opinion. And their first instinct wasn’t regret — it was to brag about it on social media. For a movement that never stops demanding “respect,” they sure seem proud of silencing critics with destruction and mob rule.
Legislators present at the protest included Reps. Nick Gauthier (D-Waterford), Steve Winter (D-New Haven), and Tom Delnicki (R-South Windsor). Rep. Gauthier posted proudly from the event with Rep. Winter, calling the bill “excellent pro-worker legislation” and accusing the governor of “threatening” to veto it.
Unions claim the bill will “level the playing field,” but what they’re really demanding is government welfare for walkouts — paid for by the same businesses that are required to fund the unemployment system.
This isn’t about fairness. It’s about unions admitting they can’t do their job without government intervention. They want the state to step in, tip the scales, and help them win strikes they can’t finish on their own — forcing employers to subsidize the disruption of their own workplaces.
And the moment someone showed up with a different message, the union response wasn’t debate but political intimidation and violence. Yet this is what union power looks like: chant, break things, and demand a check.
Gov. Lamont must stand by his word and veto S.B. 8. Doing so will send a message that Connecticut still respects civil discourse, private property, and the integrity of the unemployment system.
If this is the labor movement’s idea of lobbying for a bill they support, maybe next time they should bring a juice box and a nap mat instead of a picket sign.
