Frustrated union workers plan brief strikes in Connecticut

Abstract

Angry over stagnant wages and a lagging funding commitment from the state of Connecticut, union leaders representing mental health workers planned brief strikes in New London and Middletown, the Shoreline Times reported last month. Union employees at Sound Community Services in New London and Gilead Community Services in Middletown participated in the strikes, which the District 1199 Service Employees International Union confirmed would be limited to three days. Some of the participating employees said their salaries had not been increased in several years, while others said they cannot afford to carry health insurance. The employees also suggested that management in the organizations does not do enough to protect clinical staff from abusive patients. Mental health workers in Connecticut have asked state lawmakers to increase funding for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services by 8%, a move they say would allow for better wages and adequate staffing in the provider agencies. The CEO of Sound Community Services suggested last month that union proposals to create a pathway to salaries of $20 an hour are not realistic given the realities of state funding. “It would essentially put us out of business,” Gino DeMaio told the Shoreline Times. District 1199 union organizer Kindra Fontes‐May said, “Inflation, gas and rent go up every year, but wages in the mental health field have historically remained stagnant. The ability for workers to fight for more is key to raising standards across the state and lifting workers out of poverty.” Management and employees in the two organizations appear to agree that more support from the legislature would help to remedy the situation. However, union members are quick to point out that even in years of level‐funding from the state, management leaders have awarded themselves raises.