Local 34 is Working for Strong Contracts and a Better New Haven! May 2, 2012
Posted by Local 34 in Contract, Federation, New Haven.comments closed
Last Wednesday was amazing!
Local 34 members elected a phenomenal group of leaders at the membership meeting.
Afterward, we joined other union and community members to march for strong contracts, good jobs, organizing rights, youth opportunities, and safe streets. 2,000 people attended the event.
During the rally Dana Greene, a senior administrative assistant in the School of Public Health, told the massive crowd: “I’m here with my fellow co-workers to say that we would like to work with Yale to change the job advancement process to make promotions and career pathways clearer.” According to Local 34 contract surveys, over 90% of our members want to move up at Yale. Click here to read more about this issue and other contract priorities.
Read more in the news:
And check out the the slide show below!
Let’s Get to Work! Local 34 Membership Meeting, March and Rally on April 25th April 18, 2012
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Over the past month, hundreds of Local 34 members have discussed departmental and contract issues with our supervisors. Now, by coming all together on April 25, we will demonstrate our commitment to working with the University to achieve a great contract. United together with our allies in Local 35, GESO and the community, we can win:
- Job advancement that includes more E level positions, a streamlined audit process, and more internal hiring;
- A jobs pipeline that connects more people to good jobs;
- Excellent healthcare options; and
- Wage increases that help our families cope with the difficult economy and keep up with rising costs.
Let’s tell the University we’re ready to get to work!
UNITE HERE at Yale hosts Governor Malloy and the New Haven Board of Aldermen February 15, 2012
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Governor Dan Malloy and Local 34 President Laurie Kennington
On Tuesday, February 14, UNITE HERE at Yale hosted Governor Dan Malloy, AFSCME, and the New Haven Board of Aldermen for an informal lunch at our office at 425 College Street. The meeting provided an opportunity for the new city leaders, unions, and the governor to discuss common goals for the upcoming year.
After a brief welcome by Local 35 President Bob Proto, President of the Board, Jorge Perez and President Pro Tempore Jackie James-Evans presented the key points of the legislative agenda released by the Board of Aldermen earlier this month. Demonstrating remarkable consensus and leadership, all 30 members of the Board have signed on to a vision that prioritizes access to good jobs, youth programming and attention to crime and violence in New Haven.
In the subsequent conversation with Governor Malloy, job creation and a jobs pipeline took center stage. Local 35 member and Alderwoman of Ward 23 Tyisha Walker insisted that the inability to find work was among the toughest challenge for her neighborhood. According to a new report by the Connecticut Center for a New Economy, the unemployment rate was 13.6% last year in New Haven, and even higher in neighborhoods of color.
Pictured left to right: Brenda Jones Barnes (Local 34, Ward 13 Alderwoman); Barbara Constantinople (Ward 11 Alderwoman); Brian Wingate (Local 35, Ward 29 Alderman); Dolores Colon (Local 34, Ward 6 Alderwoman).
For decades, our Unions have been a key part of maintaining access to good jobs in New Haven and connecting residents to training opportunities and available work. Local 34 President Laurie Kennington pointed to the common ground between the community and Yale workers. Dolores Colon, Local 34 Member and Alderwoman of Ward 6, spoke from her experience of the union adding that membership in Local 34 has meant the difference between food stamps and a secure future. Alders Delphine Clyburn and Alfreda Edwards emphasized that that local companies should make commitments to hiring local people.
Governor Malloy agreed, saying that “local hiring is a fair question to ask of anyone.” He outlined ongoing efforts by the state to create jobs at small businesses. The Aldermen welcomed these efforts and challenged Malloy to take bold steps in Hartford to give Connecticut’s cities economic relief and actively promote local hiring.
After the meeting, Local 34 Chief Steward and Ward 25 Alder Adam Marchand remarked that he had never quite seen a gathering like this one, in which elected leaders and working people spoke honestly and urgently to each other about economic challenges. In many ways, the meeting was the fruit of the hard work and participation of our members. The last time Malloy was in our building was the eve of his 2010 election. UNITE HERE rallied to get out the vote, making Connecticut one of the only states that resisted nationwide anti-union trends. This same volunteer work helped to elect the new Board of Aldermen last fall. Currently 6 UNITE HERE members serve on the Board.
UNITE HERE at Yale A Big Part of Primary Victories in New Haven September 17, 2011
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Fed up with a political leadership unresponsive to the needs of working people, thousands of New Haven Democrats voted on September 13th for aldermanic candidates supported by a broad coalition of organizations, including UNITE HERE at Yale. Fourteen of fifteen of these candidates won their primary elections—some by overwhelming margins—in a stunning citywide call for change. With very few of them facing challengers in the general election in November, they are poised to take office in January.
Among those who ran were six leaders of our unions—Brian Wingate, Tyisha Walker, and Frank Douglass from Local 35, and Brenda Jones-Barnes, Adam Marchand, and Sarah Saiano from Local 34 (Sarah lost her primary). Dozens of members of our unions canvassed during the weeks before the primaries and turned out supporters to the polls on September 13th. It was the largest mobilization of union activists in local electoral politics in recent memory, both locally and nationwide.
Adam Marchand, who won a narrow victory in Ward 25 in the Westville neighborhood, attributed his success to the hard work of his team of volunteers, made up of colleagues from Local 34 and of neighbors from his ward. “We are now in a position not only to wish for a stronger neighborhood and a better New Haven, but to come together as a community and make it happen,” he said.
Stay tuned for updates on next steps for this group of leaders once they take office in January.
We Are One New Haven! April 1, 2011
Posted by Local 34 in Federation, Members, New Haven.comments closed
On March 30, following our union membership meetings, members of Local34, Local 35, GESO, and Local 217 joined with thousands of New Haven residents, private and public-sector workers, students, retirees and more for a dramatic march to New Haven City Hall. The rally, attended by over 3,000 people, according to the New Haven Register, was part of a wave of demonstrations for good jobs across the country that were inspired by attacks on workers’ rights in states such as Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana.
Union members meet with state and local elected officials January 3, 2011
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Senator-elect Richard Blumenthal with Brian Wingate, Hope Johnson, Bob Proto, Meg Riccio, Mike Boyd and John Martin of Local 35.
UNITE HERE at Yale and other New Haven-area union members met and mingled with local and state-level elected officials at the Greater New Haven Central Labor Council holiday party held December 6.
Guests included Senator-elect Richard Blumenthal, Lieutenant Governor-elect Nancy Wyman, Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson, East Haven Mayor April Capone-Almon, State Representative Steve Fontana, and State Representative-elect Roland Lemar.
The Greater New Haven Central Labor Council, located on Chapel Street, brings together the many different unions throughout the New Haven area. This year, New Haven’s unions made a critical difference in the election season by boosting voter registration and turnout on Election Day.
Our Union and Political Action April 7, 2010
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Members often ask why our unions get involved in politics. It is because our elected officials—local, state and national—have a significant impact on the issues working people like us face every day. So when Local 34 or Unite Here International Union decides to endorse a political candidate, we look at who has the strongest record of supporting union workers, protecting organizing rights, and helping working families face the challenges of the new economy.
2010 is shaping up to be an exceptionally eventful year in Connecticut politics. With forthcoming elections for one of Connecticut’s Senate seats, the Governorship, the Attorney General’s office and the Secretary of the State, we face a rare opportunity to have a substantial impact on the political leadership of our state. Each of these offices holds important power over issues that affect our working lives and our union every day. It is more important than ever that we make our voices heard this year and work to elect leaders who will represent working people and fight to protect our interests in Hartford and in Washington.
As the candidates for these various offices become clear over the next few weeks and months, Local 34’s Political Action Committee will begin the process of interviewing candidates seeking our union’s endorsement and make recommendations to the Executive Board.
