Council 4 Unplugged

Pamela Puchalski and Steve Schrag of the Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety & Health join us to talk about the fight for safe and healthy workplaces. Thanks to the efforts of unions and safety advocates like COSH, the lives of more than half a million workers have been saved by strengthening workplace protections. There is much more work to be done, as we learn in a wide-ranging discussion.

Municipal election day is Nov. 5, 2019. We visit with two Council 4 members and local office holders who are running for reelection: Manchester Mayor Jay Moran (Local 2836) and Middletown Common Councilor Phil Pessina (Local 1361 retiree).

State correctional officers are pioneering a new kind of employee assistance program through their unions. Our guests are Aaron Lichwalla (AFSCME Local 387), Michael Vargo (AFSCME Local 1565) and Millie Brown (CSEA).

College students Andrea Dominguez and Alexandra Guerrera share their experience and perspective after working with us as AFSCME Union Scholar Interns.

Alisha Blake of the Connecticut Coalition for Retirement Security joins us to talk about the impact of public pensions and the threats to our retirement security.

The 2019 state legislative session brought some victories for working people. Council 4 legislative advocates Brian Anderson and Zak Leavy discuss the outcome and the challenges ahead.

The UConn Health Center is looking to partner with a private corporation – a move that imperils patient care, education and research. Health Center employees Chris DeFranceso (UHP Local 3837) and Elizabeth Appel and Janice Oliveri (UCHC AAUP) talk about the importance of keeping their cherished institution in public hands.

We visit with retired labor leader Leo Canty, who toured the 10 happiest countries in the world, and found a shared respect for workers' rights and the need for a strong social safety net. 

Council 4 members Frank Ladore (Local 2836) and Jeremy Whetzel (Local 818) join us to talk about our union's new Conservative Caucus.

We visit with Lindsey Farrell, State Director of Connecticut Working Families, to learn about the campaigns to raise Connecticut's minimum wage and enact paid family and medical leave.

We go in depth with Council 4 Education Coordinator Joe Aresimowicz, who begins his second term as the Speaker of the State House of Representatives, and talks about his union roots.