A lawsuit filed Monday by AFSCME Council 4 and other state employee unions seeks to unionize National Guard soldiers during times they are called upon by the governor to perform work in Connecticut such as […]
A Labor and Public Employees Committee bill set for a public hearing would allow the automatic deduction of union dues or political donations from pension checks. The bill – An Act Concerning the Right of […]
With less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 election, the SEIU Connecticut State Council contracted with public affairs firm, Grossman Solutions LLC, for $50,000 worth of mail and digital advertising to support labor-backed candidates […]
A large and sweeping labor bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro would change how workers are classified as independent contractors, make shareholders liable for labor violations and requires employers be responsible for workers’ rights […]
A coalition of public sector unions in Connecticut are running advertisements on television and social media calling for increasing taxes on the wealthy and list off the names of Connecticut’s billionaires they feel should be […]
A bill to classify probate court employees as state employees and allow them to unionize for collective bargaining purposes is currently under consideration by the Labor and Public Employees Committee. An Act Strengthening the Probate […]
A litany of sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviors and even assault allegations have been lodged against male officials within the Service Employees International Union in an on-going lawsuit against the union. Plaintiff Mindy Sturge, a coordinator […]
During the legislative session lawmakers approved $44 million in raises and benefits through a series of twelve collective bargaining agreements, according to a review of arbitrated labor agreements approved by the House of Representatives and […]
As debate over privacy issues related to social media continue across the country, in Connecticut a series of union-backed bills would give union leaders continual access to the personal contact information for state employees, home […]
In what could be a very costly blow to organized labor, a regulatory change enacted by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services states that union dues can no longer be automatically deducted from home […]
The Connecticut State Legislature will begin its 2023 session on January 4th and will adjourn on June 7th. The “long session,” as non-election years are called in Hartford, will be centered around the biennial budget. The Office of the State Comptroller reports that state government found a way to spend $47.11 billion in 2022 and, if trends continue, we can expect that number to grow even more going forward. Concerns over energy prices, inflation, and general cost of living continue to dominate the headlines and the threat of a recession hovers over economic forecasts.
What will our elected officials be working on to improve policy outcomes for Connecticut residents? What tax reform proposals will there be? What can be done to lower home heating bills? How will state and local budgets be affected by fewer federal resources? How will schools be implementing to curriculum requirements?
While we wait to see the thousands of individual and committee bills that while dominate the myriad policy debates this year, Yankee Institute is hard at work promoting free-market solutions to the problems we face from Stamford to Putnam and Mystic to Salisbury. To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. The Charter provides commonsense reforms to make Connecticut’s government work for its residents.
Though the list of reforms may be exhausting to review, it is far from exhaustive! And that’s why we want to work with you to build a broad-based coalition to encourage sound policy reforms to enable Connecticut residents to forge a better future for themselves and their families.
It’s also imperative that we do so. As we noted in a report and CT Mirror op-ed last year, the debate over whether we’re in a national recession really misses the point for Connecticut residents. We had more people employed in the private sector in 2007 than we do today. Our economy has grown at one of the slowest rates in the nation for the past decade, and we are getting outpaced year after year. We’re not attracting innovation and industry. We’re losing some of our best and brightest as they seek other parts of the country where it’s easier to make a living.
But together, we can reverse this trend.
At Yankee Institute, we know Connecticut is a state with boundless opportunity, and we intend to help make our state more than a place where people are just able to make ends meet! Connecticut should be a place where everyone can thrive – and with your help, it will be.