Thanks to the activism of union leaders, millions in state resources have been secured to stabilize vital research being done at Connecticut’s flagship public university and medical academic center. Our affiliated UCHC-AAUP President Ion Moraru (ninth from left, in photo, above), Vice President Neena Qasba (fourth from left) and Secretary-Treasurer Mark Maciejewski (seventh from left) shared the story in a recently published op-ed. They detail how, in response to unprecedented federal grant cuts, they mobilized to improve the “daily lives of our patients, students, neighbors and families:”
Governor Ned Lamont’s recent allocation of $35 million from the Federal Cuts Response Fund is a vital step toward safeguarding economic growth and scientific innovation. This critical investment in the University of Connecticut (UConn) and UConn Health (UCH) demonstrates the true power of collective action. By uniting our union, elected officials, and university administration behind a shared vision, we have secured a victory that will benefit students, patients and businesses across the state.
This allocation comes at a turning point. Over the past 15 months, historic instability in federal research funding has triggered a staggering 22% drop in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awards, with projections for the remainder of 2026 showing an 80% decline in new grants. At UConn and UCH, these cuts have already inflicted a $95 million blow, jeopardizing the futures of 2,600 students, trainees and faculty members.
Getting Political to Protect Science
Recognizing the gravity of this crisis, our union spearheaded the push for state leaders to step in and bridge this massive fiscal gap. In March, we testified before the General Assembly’s Higher Education and Advancement Committee to champion a bill defending our state’s research under siege. We called on lawmakers to “invest in our research community, make Connecticut a leader in defending all areas of research, and protect the integrity of scientific inquiry.” Within a week, the committee moved swiftly, embracing state support for a broader $50 million research fund.
The state’s current $35 million commitment does more than just keep research jobs in Connecticut – it sends a clear message that we value scientific inquiry free from political interference. This funding acts as a shield for vital fields targeted by federal rollbacks, including health equity, racial disparities, vaccine safety, LGBTQ+ advocacy and reproductive health. These are not abstract concepts; this research directly impacts the daily lives of our patients, students, neighbors and families.
Demanding More than Damage Control
However, a one-time stopgap cannot be the end of the road. We hope Governor Lamont’s announcement marks the beginning of a sustained, long-term effort to fully fund public higher education. Even with this funding, our students and colleagues continue to brace for future shortfalls – not just from Washington, but from Hartford, too.
Despite having the fiscal resources to weather these storms, Connecticut’s past policy decisions continue to stifle our own growth.
Rigid fiscal roadblocks enacted during the Great Recession continue to limit us. Strictly capping growth and diverting revenues away from active public services has prevented record surpluses from being reinvested into instruction, research and patient care. This diminishes real-term operational support and forces unnecessary tuition hikes on our students.
We should look to our neighbors for inspiration on the next steps. Last year, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey launched the DRIVE initiative, proposing a robust $400 million research fund to ensure the Bay State remains a competitive powerhouse for science and innovation despite federal headwinds. Connecticut can, and should, match that level of ambition.
Building for a Better Future
Sustained investment in UConn and UCH ensures that students finish their degrees, labs stay open, and life-saving scientific discoveries continue to fuel our local economy.. Every single dollar the state invests in university research yields nearly $2 in economic output. In FY 2024, nearly $800 million in NIH grant expenditures supported 6,831 jobs and generated $1.78 billion in commercial activity in Connecticut.
We expect the governor and the state legislature to build boldly on this $35 million foundation. By fully funding the shared mission of UConn and UConn Health, our leaders can empower us to provide world-class higher education, exceptional clinical care and the cutting-edge research Connecticut deserves.
The post Defending Science and Good Jobs at Home first appeared on AFT Connecticut.
Local activists gathered at Yale University’s Amistad Park in New Haven earlier this month to demand accountability from federal lawmakers over a looming $1 trillion in cuts to the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. The event was part of a nationwide mobilization uniting advocates, healthcare workers and public figures across 75 cities and 33 states to amplify a clear message: healthcare cuts kill.
State federation and affiliate leaders spoke directly to how these cuts will squeeze families already reeling from an escalating affordability crisis.
“The loss of subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is just the tip of the iceberg,” said AFT Connecticut Vice President John Brady, RN (left, in collage, above). “Many of the biggest harms of the ‘big beautiful bill’ haven’t even gone into effect. The plain truth about those who voted for it is this: they do not believe that healthcare is a right or that it should be accessible and affordable for everyone.”
Catastrophic Cuts to Clinical Care
Brady’s comments targeted Congress’s vote last summer to slash health-related programs and services via H.R. 1. Lawmakers delayed the most devastating impacts of the bill until later this year, but once effective, the damage will be catastrophic. Across the country, over 15 million people are projected to lose health coverage, leading to an estimated 51,000 preventable deaths annually. By stripping funds from Medicaid, the ACA, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), lawmakers executed the largest healthcare rollback in American history.
The New Haven action, spearheaded by labor allies and co-sponsored by a broad coalition of 20 statewide, regional, and local organizations, also celebrated the frontline “healthcare heroes” keeping the system afloat.
“We have to uplift the people who are most impacted; the most vulnerable among us,” said Danielle Berriault, RN (center, above), the president of our Backus Federation of Nurses. “We must, because a rising tide lifts all boats, and that’s what this event is about. How else are we going to be free and have any kind of semblance of a human existence? Together, is how we can do that.”
Undermining Research
The rollback also threatens the future of medicine by gutting federal grants administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Without these resources, scientists will be forced to abandon promising research into cures for Alzheimer’s, cancer, and other debilitating diseases.
“The impact of these cuts isn’t just short-term; impeding life-saving research carries long-term consequences,” said AAUP Yale Executive Committee Member Jeffrey Wickersham (right, above). “Future medical breakthroughs, new drug discoveries and potential cures for deadly diseases are all at risk. Reducing federal funding grants will cut back on the work done at R1 doctoral universities, like Yale here in Connecticut, and across the country.”
Sounding the Bed Alarm
The event concluded at sunset with a powerful candlelight vigil, honoring those already lost to health inequities and the millions more whose lives remain at risk if federal funding is not restored.
Going forward, our national union and allies across the country are mobilizing for this year’s mid-term elections. We have the opportunity to hold politicians who voted to deny millions of American families access to critical care and life-saving research accountable.
The post Denouncing Cruel Cuts that Threaten Lives first appeared on AFT Connecticut.
A major legislative priority for union members came to fruition during the 2026 session of the Connecticut General Assembly. Moving forward, any healthcare or education professional assaulted in the line of duty will be guaranteed full wage replacement. Following months of testimony at legislative hearings and targeted advocacy with lawmakers, labor activists secured bipartisan support for passage and the governor’s signature of the historic measure into law.
Speaking at the bill-signing ceremony earlier this month, AFT Connecticut Vice President John Brady, RN (pictured above, far right in the third row) shared a compelling personal story highlighting the harsh realities of workplace violence. He recounted a harrowing incident from his time working at a hospital, where he was monitoring a psychiatric patient who attempted suicide.
“I got the noose off his neck, and at that point, he placed me in a headlock,” Brady said. “I was lucky because security got there in time to pull him off me. This assault was so common that my treatment that day was to be given enough time to have a coffee before returning to work. Yet, I’ll still dream about it occasionally 30 years later.”
Closing a Long-Standing Loophole
Prior to this legislation, educators who were assaulted had to sue in the state court system and faced a high burden of proof, resulting in many not pursuing their rights. By closing the loophole with a broader definition of an assault, moving claims to the Workers Compensation Commission (WCC) and expanding protections to health professionals, victims have access to workplace justice.
Prior to this legislation, educators who were assaulted had to sue in the state court system and faced a high burden of proof, resulting in many not pursuing their rights. By closing the loophole with a broader definition of an assault, moving claims to the workers compensation system and expanding protections to health professionals, victims have access to workplace justice
During powerful, emotional testimony before the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee in March, union leaders and activists urged lawmakers to act, linking unsafe conditions directly to ongoing workforce shortages.
“Unchecked hostility and violence is a huge factor for nurses leaving the workplace and experiencing moral injury,” said Vix Lyons, RN, president of our affiliated Meriden Federation of School-Based Registered Nurses. “When healthcare workers are being violated and feel unsafe, it impacts the whole system. Knowing that you are unprotected and vulnerable to attacks from your patients and their families is distressing and places undue stress on healthcare workers.”
A Growing Crisis in Healthcare and Education
Healthcare professionals – including nurses, physicians, social workers, registrars, and environmental services staff – experience workplace assaults at five times the rate of workers in other industries. Nearly every healthcare worker has encountered violent behavior in the course of their duties, ranging from being spit on and kicked to facing life-threatening attacks.
“I can speak from personal experience that violence against healthcare workers is rising in our state,” said Sara Bustamante, RN, a member of our L&M Federation of Registered Professional Nurses. “I was viciously assaulted by one of my patients while at work. I spent nearly a month at home recuperating and though I am now back at work, it is with new, unrelenting anxiety that I just can’t seem to shake.”
The newly signed measure extends identical protections to teachers, paraeducators, and school-related personnel in public K-12 schools, as well as faculty and staff at public colleges and universities. Nationally, the average rate of workplace assault for school teachers is double the average rate across all other occupations combined.
“Educators injured at work deserve full compensation and fair treatment, and they should not be subject to lost sick time or wages,” said Leslie Blatteau, president of our New Haven Federation of Teachers. “At a time when fewer college graduates are considering joining our profession and more of our colleagues are resigning or retiring early, these protections are essential to retaining dedicated educators.”
The Push for Safer Workplaces Continues
While this law represents a monumental step forward, union leaders emphasize that solving retention and workforce shortages requires improving day-to-day workplace conditions in the first place. Whether in a hospital emergency department, a school lunchroom, or a campus dormitory, unsafe staffing levels leave educators and caregivers acutely vulnerable to violence.
The workplace assault compensation provisions of the new law officially take effect on October 1, 2026. At that time, any covered individual who is physically or negligently assaulted while performing their duties will receive 100% of their average weekly earnings throughout their recovery period.
The post Securing Full Compensation for Injury Due to Workplace Assault first appeared on AFT Connecticut.
Lighting a fire under the state’s largest employer requires a deliberate strategy and an engaged membership. This latest collective bargaining report highlights the gains made by nine AFT Connecticut-affiliated public employee unions and chapters. It is a blueprint for how tens of thousands of working people can win a better future – a model adaptable to any labor organization.
Most units within the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) began preparing in late 2024 for contracts expiring in July 2025. Union leaders pooled resources and shared strategies across executive and judicial branch agencies and higher education institutions. This unified approach sustained bargaining teams even after current contracts expired.
Optimism grew last winter when the Judicial Professionals Employees (JPE) Union won an arbitration award for a one-year agreement after declaring impasse.
“This award absolutely sets a precedent for the fair wages all state employees deserve,” JPE President Rob Moreau said at the time. “It also sends a clear message to Governor Lamont that he should take negotiations seriously and offer honorable contracts that reflect workforce needs beyond one year.”
However, negotiations dragged into 2026, risking further delays if settlements weren’t reached before the legislative session adjourned. In mid-March, union leaders mobilized a massive demonstration in Hartford to move the needle.
Emceeing the event, State Vocational Federation of Teachers President and AFT Connecticut Vice President for Public Employees Makenzi Hurtado (at podium, in photo, above) delivered the coalition’s demands.
“Together, we’re calling on Governor Lamont and outside employers to make recruiting, retaining and reinvesting in the workforce who provide ‘The Connecticut Difference’ a priority. My hope for my children’s and all our children’s futures is that they will have options available for them, and strong, stable services they can depend on throughout their lives.”
Within weeks, 32 tentative agreements were reached. These three- and four-year contracts followed a uniform framework for annual salary increases while securing unit-specific benefits won by individual negotiating committees.
“This contract proves that improving faculty working conditions directly enriches student learning opportunities,” said UConn-AAUP Executive Vice President Andrew Bush. “By securing guaranteed paid parental leave for the first time in our chapter’s history, we have moved beyond traditional labor gains to ‘Bargaining for the Common Good.’”
Members ratified the agreements by strong majorities, and legislative leaders quickly scheduled hearings. Administrative & Residual (A&R) Employees Union President John Disette noted the high political stakes.
“The fact that our contracts are being considered by state lawmakers in the middle of yet another partial federal government shutdown should not be lost on anyone,” he said. “When Washington undermines federal protections, reinvesting in Connecticut’s state workforce matters more than ever.”
The resolution won approval in both chambers, receiving support largely along party lines. Four-year contract provisions are retroactive to July 1, 2025, while three-year agreements take effect July 1, 2026. The framework includes a reopener to determine salaries for the final year of the pacts.
We celebrated our affiliates’ contracts – several of which were secured with the support of AFT Connecticut Field Representative Emily Demicco and legal counsel Eric Chester – on social media:
A&R Employees Union Association of Connecticut Assistant Attorneys General (AAGs) CSU-AAUP Local 6745 JPE Union State Vocational Federation of Teachers UConn-AAUP UCHC-AAUP University Health Professionals (UHP) University of Connecticut Professional Employees Association (UCPEA)(Editor’s note: at press time, an arbitration decision regarding the contract for our tenth state employee union affiliate, the Federation of Technical College Teachers, had not been reached).
Since our January report, two additional affiliates have also announced wins:
American School for the Deaf Federation of Teachers EastConn Federation of TeachersA future report is expected to include four additional pending settlements and a recent arbitration victory.
The post Recruiting, Retaining and Reinvesting in the Workforce first appeared on AFT Connecticut.
The excessive compensation doled out to the chiefs of the state’s largest non-profit health networks underscores the industry’s chronic disinvestment in direct clinical caregivers and support personnel. Andrea Riley, RN (speaking in photo, above), called out the two worst offenders in a recently published op-ed. The president of our AFT Connecticut-affiliated Windham Hospital Federation of Professional Nurses urged redirecting patient care dollars to “the people working at the bedside in our community:”
It would take a nurse nearly 60 years to earn what the CEOs of Hartford HealthCare (HHC) and Yale New Haven Health Systems (YNHHS) banked just last year. Let that sink in.
When faced with a staffing crisis that threatens the operations of every healthcare facility in the country, and despite recent messaging on the financial stress facing Connecticut’s hospitals, two of our state’s largest nonprofit health networks opted to give their top executives significant pay hikes instead of working to recruit, retain, and reinvest in their workforce.
A recent article noted that HHC CEO Jeffrey Flaks – who is not a licensed practitioner – saw a 22.2% increase in his total compensation, taking in over $5 million in FY 2025. Meanwhile, YNHHS CEO Christopher O’Connor – also, not a licensed caregiver – received over $6 million in 2025, a 22.1% increase over the previous year. For context, a registered nurse working in Connecticut makes, on average, about $40.02 an hour. This comparison doesn’t even scratch the surface of wage disparities across the many other job titles among hospital staff.
Yet services to communities continue to be cut, as has been the case at Windham Community Memorial Hospital (WCMH), the Hartford HealthCare-owned facility where I’ve invested my career in bedside care. Since the network’s take-over in 2008, devastating cuts have been made to our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Labor & Delivery departments. Clinical personnel have been laid off and many departments continue to work chronically short-staffed.
Surprisingly, these executives’ lavish raises don’t seem to be tied to the financial security of the systems they oversee. According to the article, YNHHS reported nearly $200 million in operating losses for the fiscal year 2025.
If hospital administrators truly believe that these CEO raises “enable us to continue attracting and maintaining a world-renowned executive leadership team,” then why do they not apply that same principle to the bedside staff actually performing life-saving work?
A Yale spokesperson explains that compensation of YNHHS senior leaders is set by their Board of Trustees. It should be further pointed out that hospital boards are not publicly elected, as is the case with boards of education or town councils. Nonprofit hospital boards are often self-perpetuating; when there are openings, the current board members typically hand-pick the replacement. Yet, like boards of education and town councils, hospitals are predominantly financed with public dollars, through Medicare, Medicaid and patients’ insurance premiums.
It is not uncommon for senior executives to serve on multiple boards. For instance, the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) executive committee comprises several HHC and Yale senior executives. To be clear, that’s four of its nine executive committee members and six of its 12 trustee seats. In fact, Flaks is Vice Chair and O’Connor is the Immediate Past Chair.
CHA claims that “top-tier talent, as challenges grow, is fundamental to protecting patient care, workforce stability, and access to essential services.” We can actually agree on this, but the members of our union believe the emphasis should be placed on the people working at the bedside in our community, not the senior executives in their boardrooms.
The post Reining in Runaway Executive Pay is Long Overdue first appeared on AFT Connecticut.
