Videos

Testifying for Our Contract

Appropriations PH and CM re Collective Bargaining Agreements

See and hear VP Tier Ii Peter Zarabozo's tesimony before the Appropriations Committee April 18, 2022.

Trung Le, one of our front-line nurses, has been an outspoken advocate of on-the-job safety during the pandemic, sharing his first-hand account. See this video tribute that was just shown at the 2020 AFT Convention!

In harm’s way

One of the biggest storylines from the coronavirus pandemic is the lack of adequate personal protective equipment for healthcare workers in hospitals across the country. Trung Le’s hospital was no different. Le, a registered nurse with UConn Health and member of University Health Professionals/AFT Connecticut, often found himself reusing his PPE for a week or more.

Trung Le with Joe Biden

“As frontline workers, we put our patients first and do what we can to ensure everyone’s safety,” says Le, adding that as a nurse, he knew there was a possibility he could get sick while taking care of patients. But Le was concerned about the reuse of PPE and the risks reuse posed to patients and providers alike. He shared those concerns with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during a virtual roundtable discussion on the impact of COVID-19. “There is an undertone of dread throughout the hospital because this is serious, and we are playing Russian roulette,” Le told Biden.

In April, Le contracted a mild case of COVID-19. He was quarantined in a hotel room for two weeks and eventually recovered; but he has continued to speak out about PPE because he wants hospitals to be better prepared, especially as COVID-19 surges across the country.

“I don’t mind speaking up about what’s happening. I will say and do what I can to protect my co-workers and myself because we are putting our lives on the line,” says Le. “I hope this [pandemic] changes the country and that we realize what’s important and that we need each other to survive.”

Watch Trung Le’s AFT Hero video(link is external).

[Adrienne Coles]

Lamont to Public Employees: 'Thank You'

Working Together to Protect State Employees' Health & Safety

Governor Ned Lamont in mid March offered his personal thanks and gratitude to state employees weathering the impact of the global COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic on Connecticut. His message was amplified by public health professionals who provided personal infection prevention tips, help with identifying symptoms and steps for seeking text and treatment of the disease.

Click here to watch and share their collective public service message, prepared for the members of the unions in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC). The project was spearheaded by the UConn Health Labor Coalition, which includes the seven locals representing the health, academic and research staff at the public institution’s Farmington campus and satellite facilities.

Access the latest official COVID19 pandemic information for the general public: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

Access the latest relevant updates for state employees: https://www.ctstateemployees.org

Videographer: Neal Thomassen, https://www.facebook.com/unionneal

Music: Digital Juice, http://www.digitaljuice.com

Additional Photos: Council 4 AFSCME, Connecticut Employees Union Independent, SEIU Local 511, Connecticut Police & Fire Union, IAFF Local S-15

Grateful Patient Seeks out Nurse for a Dance

Stroke Survivor Returns for Promised Dance with His Nurse

This may be the most heartwarming 30 seconds you'll have in a long time!

AFT: Building Power Through Collective Bargaining

The work AFT members have done over the past year has been phenomenal, and this new video captures it by showing the powerful gains we've made as we raised our voices in the streets, in the press and through collective bargaining.

We've won contracts that have improved schools by leaps and bounds, won legislation that's funded education and protected patients, and scored countless wins for working people and their communities.

When people lose power, they respond in one of two ways: agonize or organize. As a union, we choose organize every single time.