Lucky for the union members they can “recall” their union when they feel poorly represented; the taxpayers of Connecticut, who are about to have an increase in income tax withheld retroactive to January 1st, don’t have the ability to recall their governor.
Dr. Susan Berry
Big Government
7/23/2011
Connecticut state correctional officers and prison employees say they have been misrepresented by their union leaders. The current members of a Connecticut local of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are actively soliciting membership, instead, in the Massachusetts-based National Correctional Employees Union (NCEU), following their union leaders’ participation in a decision by the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) to change its bylaws. SEBAC voted on the change in order to make good on a $1.6 billion concession package deal struck with Democratic and Working Families Party Governor Dannel Malloy. The AFSCME local’s 4,500 members rejected the original concession package, leading to only a 57% approval vote, when the bylaws required 80% approval by rank and file members. SEBAC has now voted to lower the bar for ratification of contracts to require only a simple majority.
Since the rejection of the concessions package, Governor Malloy has threatened to lay off about 4,300 state workers and put an end to many government services. The governor plans to lay off nearly 900 correctional officers and close several prisons, two of which, Mr. Malloy’s advisor states, will close even if a new labor agreement is achieved.
According to CT News Junkie, correctional officer John Boyle, who will be retiring, said he is very unhappy with both AFSCME and SEBAC, both groups he views as existing only to collect dues from workers. “They’re taking people’s money going behind closed doors and selling them out,” he said. Mr. Boyle is organizing a class-action suit against union leaders…
The article continues at Big Government.
