Draft of Amended 4C's Constitution for Review

January 23, 2015

The 4C's Constitution and By-Laws Committee is currently working to revise the 4Cs' Constitution. Below are links to the Amended Constitution Version 5 and the Constitutional Revision Summary Document summarizing the proposed changes. Amended Constitution Version 4 (posted 1/24/15) Constitutional Revision Summary Document (posted 1/24/15) The Delegate Assembly will vote on the amended Constitution at its next meeting, scheduled for Sunday, January 25. If approved by the Delegate Assembly, the proposed amended Constitution will be sent to the entire membership for approval.

Anthem Security Breach - Update

February 6, 2015

February 18, 2015

Anthem has provided an important update on the status of its response to the cyber-attack and security breach that it announced last week – as well as details on how to enroll in identity theft protection services that it has guaranteed to its members, including current and former state employees and retirees that may be affected.

The services that Anthem is providing to members are strictly voluntary and available for two years. As of 2 p.m. today, members may begin enrollment if they wish. Enrollment instructions are outlined in this message below.

Additional information for members can be obtained at Anthem’s online resource page at www.anthemfacts.com. For further questions or information, plan participants may call Anthem’s dedicated toll-free hotline at 877-263-7995, as well as the dedicated Anthem Connecticut member line at 1-800-922-2232.

Here is the latest report from Anthem, which will also be mailed directly to affected members’ homes:

On January 29, 2015, Anthem, Inc. (Anthem) discovered that cyber attackers executed a sophisticated attack to gain unauthorized access to Anthem’s IT system and obtained personal information relating to members who were or are currently covered by Anthem or other independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans that work with Anthem. Anthem believes that this suspicious activity may have occurred over the course of several weeks beginning in early December 2014.

As soon as we discovered the attack, we immediately began working to close the security vulnerability and contacted the FBI.  We have been fully cooperating with the FBI’s investigation. Anthem has also retained Mandiant, one of the world’s leading cybersecurity firms, to assist us in our investigation and to strengthen the security of our systems.

Members Affected

Current or former members of one of Anthem’s affiliated health plans may be affected.  In addition, some members of other independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans who received healthcare services in any of the areas that Anthem serves over the last 10 years may be compromised.  Anthem is providing identity protection services to all individuals that are affected.   For a listing of potentially compromised Anthem affiliated health plans and other Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies for which Anthem is providing this service, visit anthemfacts.com to view a list.  Anthem is a service provider to other group health plans and Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans across the country.

Information Accessed

The information accessed may have included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, health care ID numbers, home addresses, email addresses, employment information, including income data.  We have no reason to believe credit card or banking information was compromised, nor is there evidence at this time that medical information such as claims, test results, or diagnostic codes, was targeted or obtained.

Identity Protection Services

Anthem has arranged to have AllClear ID protect your identity for two (2) years at no cost to you. The following identity protection services start on the date of this notice and you can use them at any time during the next two (2) years.

• AllClear SECURE: The team at AllClear ID is ready and standing by if you need identity repair assistance. This service is automatically available to you with no enrollment required.  If a problem arises, simply call 1-877-263-7995 and a dedicated investigator will do the work to recover financial losses, restore your credit and make sure your identity is returned to its proper condition.  AllClear ID maintains an A+ rating at the Better Business Bureau.

• AllClear PRO: This service offers additional layers of protection including credit monitoring and a $1 million identity theft insurance policy. For a child under 18 years old, AllClear ID ChildScan identifies acts of fraud against children by searching thousands of databases for use of your child’s information. To use the PRO service, you will need to provide your personal information to AllClear ID. To learn more about these services, or to enroll, visit our source of truth http://www.anthemfacts.com/ and click on the AllClear ID link from there.  Please note: Additional steps may be required by you in order to activate your phone alerts.

Mailed Notification

Anthem will also individually notify potentially affected current and former members by U.S. Postal mail with this same specific information on how to enroll in free credit monitoring and identity protection services.  These services will be provided to potentially affected current and former members free of charge.  Anthem has also established a dedicated website (www.anthemfacts.com) where members can access additional information, including frequently asked questions and answers.

Toll-Free Hotline

Anthem has established a dedicated toll-free number that you can call if they have questions related to this incident. That number is 877-263-7995.  We have included contact information for the three nationwide credit bureaus below.

Logo Contest

April 1, 2015

Help us update our logo and possibly win $500!

The 4Cs (Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges) is running a logo contest for all 4Cs members and students at Connecticut's twelve community colleges. We are seeking a new logo that is modern, fun and creative while still maintaining the level of professionalism one would expect from an organization representing members in the higher education field. See here for complete details.

The contest ends on April 24.

Why Dr. Gray is Wrong

April 2, 2015

Our last e-news blast focused on the lengthy state budget process. Now, threats to our members' employment exist, including the closing of the Meriden Center of Middlesex Community College. These threats are being made in response to the Governor's PROPOSED budget. College Presidents are threatening our members because of instructions received from Dr. Gray.

Publicly, Dr. Gray and other system officials have blamed the cost of employees transferring from ARP to the Hybrid Plan as being a significant cost to the system. However, please read the attached letter from the SEBAC Attorney to the Chairs of the Appropriations Committee, explaining why this is NOT TRUE. The Comptroller reimburses the higher education institutions for the full cost of fringe benefits for employees paid out of the block grant (i.e. the Governor's proposal).

We can feel neither comforted by, nor confident in, the leadership of President Gray. He remains focussed on his obviously failed Transform 2020 initiative. Further, we have learned that the System Office is withholding $40 million dollars of the Governor's proposed block grant for the Community Colleges for itself. Dr. Gray is solving his own budget crisis - one that results from a bloated system office bureaucracy and his continued mismanagement - by forcing a budget crisis upon our colleges.

In Memory of Greg Hager

May 1, 2015

Greg Hager, 1946 - 2015

"W. Gregory Hager, of Burlington CT and formerly of Washington, PA died Saturday, April 25, 2015, in Hartford, CT. He received a Masters Degree from the University of Ohio and began a successful and vibrant teaching career at Northwest Connecticut Community College (NCCC) in Winsted, CT which spanned 35 years. In addition to his professorial career, Greg was a longtime union activist, especially in the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges (4Cs) where he was a member since the mid 1970s until his retirement. He served for decades on the union's Executive Board as one of its vice presidents, as a member of many of its committees and as one of its prime activists organizing campus chapters around the state, and he marched on many picket lines in support of fellow Connecticut state employees.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Greg's memory to Northwestern Connecticut Community College. Make checks payable to NCCC and write "Hager Scholarship Fund" in the memo area of the check. Checks can be mailed to Northwestern CT Community College, c/o Hager Scholarship Fund, attn.: Todd M. Bryda, 2 Park Place East, Winsted, CT 06098. Online condolences may be made at www.SheehanHilbornBreen.com.

Read Greg's complete obituary here.

CONNECTICUT PASSES GROUNDBREAKING LEGISLATION TO ATTACK THE STUDENT LOAN DEBT CRISIS

June 9, 2015

political-action

Notice Of Proposed SEBAC Class Action Settlement

July 20, 2015

You may have received an email recently from the State of Connecticut that reads as follows:

If you were an employee of the State of Connecticut as of November 17, 2002 and were a member of a bargaining unit designated as an exclusive bargaining representative pursuant to the State Employee Collective Bargaining Act, you could get a payment from a proposed class action settlement. Please read the Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement by clicking on the link below:

http://www.sgtlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/class-member-mail-noticefrequently-asked-questions.pdf

This e-mail is being sent from an unattended mailbox.  Please do not reply.  You may obtain a copy of the Settlement Agreement and any other documents relating to the proposed settlement by writing or calling Class Counsel at the contact information provided in Response 19 of the attached notice or by visiting the Class Counsel's website www.sgtlaw.com/class-action-sebac-v-john-g-rowland or your state bargaining unit's website.

Please also read this notice:

Update on Rowland Lawsuit

If 4Cs members have questions about this settlement, please refer to http://www.sgtlaw.com/class-action-sebac-v-john-g-rowland/ for contact information.

50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

August 6, 2015

Excerpt taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bernie-sanders/the-fight-for-voting-righ_b_7942850.html:

The Fight for Voting Rights Is Our Fight Today

Bernie Sanders, Democratic candidate for President, US Senator from Vermont

Thursday, August 6 marks the 50-year anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This landmark piece of legislation was a milestone in the fight for civil rights and a great step forward in the advancement of our democracy. This important and popular law passed the House and Senate with the support of large majorities from both parties.

Unfortunately, some people would rather increase the power of the privileged few than defend voting rights. Right-wing groups like the Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have been promoting legislative proposals which make it harder for minorities to register and vote. Sadly, those proposals have had some success at the state level.

Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bernie-sanders/the-fight-for-voting-righ_b_7942850.html.

The Price We Pay

August 31, 2015

...WHEN COLLEGES ACT LIKE CORPORATIONS WE ALL PAY THE PRICE

Today’s colleges and universities are acting more and more like corporations, selling us short instead of investing in the long-term success of students and faculty.

During this back-to-school period, faculty, students and parents across the nation are calculating the price we pay when colleges act like big companies rather than live their mission and values. Together, we are telling the truth and building a movement that is confronting the crisis in higher education.

For more information on this national SEIU campaign, please visit here.

Happy Labor Day!

September 7, 2015

From http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/op-ed_labor_day_2015

OP-ED | Labor Day 2015

by Leo Canty | Sep 4, 2015 1:24pm (0) | Log in to Post a Comment Posted to: Analysis, Civil Liberties, Corporate Watch, The Economy, Election 2016, Equality, Labor, Opinion

LEO CANTY

Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement, dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers and the contributions they have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country, says a paraphrased Labor Department web post.

So how are we doing in 2015? Union membership strength has dropped to 11.1 percent, a level not seen since the 1940s and with most of the losses happening since 1988. Our wealth disparity has achieved historic separation as the middle class and the American dream evaporates. Collective well being, as recent polls note, is coming up short as 66 percent or more of Americans think our country is on the wrong track. Not Good.

It sounds familiar, though? Economic and social cycles have peaks and valleys. Everyone gets to go along for the ride. While the situations may not repeat, Mark Twain suggested, they often rhyme. No question we’re sliding on another down cycle, with a cadence of eras past and posing many questions about our nation’s progression from the great recession and the impact on unions and the subsequent dispossession of the middle class.

Many of the social and economic achievements boosting the American workforce of the past were the product of hard fought gains won by union efforts. The strength and prosperity that has seen better days grew tremendously from of a stable, well paid and secure workforce. None of that happened by accident or the kindness or generosity of capitalism. It took pain and hardship, street fights and political fights, riots and a revolution of sorts to raise the bar for so many to enjoy. People died, were beaten, and thrown in jail. Families were shattered by losing loved ones or by hardships from consequences of strikes, riots, or unjust action by corrupt politics. It was hard. It was ugly. It took forever. But it improved the national prosperity and well being and pushed middle class momentum on the up-cycle.

Workplace and economic oppression, along with social distress, are not new. Discontent has often fueled big changes and organized labor has often led the charge. The social and economic achievements celebrated on Labor Day came from struggles and aggression against the inherent evils of the forces that want more than their fair share, and capitalism breeds that.

We are in a cycle that grew from discontent that spawned a revolution in the early 1900s. It was sparked by obnoxious wealth that totally screwed the workforce for their own gains. The bad behaviors of many employers, abusing workers — adults and children — cheating on paychecks, forcing deadly work-until-you die conditions, and stemming discontent with violent force, made for a good reason to fight back. And that generation did.

The outcome of the fight forced changes in labor laws and pushed economic advances that created and expanded the middle class and changed America’s social fabric. It was revolutionary in that world. And all the time the revolution leaders could see, feel, harness, guide, and direct a lot of the heat and energy generated by the pain of discontent, the desire of many to fight for better lives for future generations. It was only that struggle, the way they knew how back then, that bred progress. Leaders like Frederick Douglas knew how that worked, and it did.

The pains of the depression and awful workplace environments fueled the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a student of Keynesian economics who pushed rapid job creation and programs to lift the country out of depression mode. Workers got rights, unions grew, workplaces became better, social distresses were eased, taxes on wealth rose to 90+ percent as wealth shared the cost of rebuilding the nation ravaged by their greed. Unions pushed harder for raising wages, shortening the work week, health care, building more infrastructure, supporting unionization, and securing retirement options.

Prosperity and well being were enhanced for everyone as the up-cycle grew. FDR’s program was working, for all but the richest few. The naysayers loaded their guns and fired away — verbally. They trashed his programs and called him a socialist and blocked everything they could. The capitalists relentlessly vented their objections to sharing wealth and growing the nation’s prosperity for everyone in any way they could. But unions, voters, middle class families, and most everyone knew labels didn’t matter. Outcomes did. FDR got a three-peat.

From the 1940’s to the 1970’s the economy, union membership, and shared prosperity soared and then leveled.

Reagan’s trickle-down voodoo economics and the fall of the Air Traffic Controllers union in 1988 fired the shot that started the race to the bottom. The strength of labor laws sagged. Big money spent more to take back shared prosperity any way they could, especially with big investments in politics. Labor never recovered. Momentum was crushed. That revolution ceased to spin. Union membership sank from its 30+ percent high and the economy slowly ebbed for all but the wealthiest.

Funny thing. The rhymes of history seem to have predictable stanzas based on a cycle repeating every four generations, at least according to William Strauss and Neil Howe and their book, Fourth Turning. It’s a 20-year-old prophesy that seems tuned in to this and many other historical cycles and predictable similar sounding outcomes.

Today’s generation is in dire need of a new foundation for tomorrow’s prosperity and well being — we need to build it and own it. Current concessions on jobs, wages, benefits, and quality of life won’t support a dream. It’s creating a nightmare of discontent, social and economic unrest, and uncertainty.

The ravages of unjust and disproportionate wealth is taking its toll — just like last time — and breeding new momentum for a revolution that may sound like the last one, only different. Power still will not concede without a struggle and better lives for the 99 percent won’t come by accident or from the kindness or generosity of the 1 percent who own the most. Surprisingly, if you can believe Strauss and Howe, it’s an inevitable process — genetically wired in history, so to speak.

Momentum for change is palpable, revealing itself in polls, platforms, and discourse. People are reacting to the pinch, there is social and economic tension festering, politics have gone crazy. This has moved growing numbers to get re-organized and re-mobilized. There is vibrant kinetic energy just waiting to be harnessed and channeled in the right direction. Change will happen and a new revolution seems to be knocking on America’s door.

Unions, as they have always been, are a great catalyst for action, fomenting the momentum needed for a sea change. People don’t want status quo, or a neap tide-like movement, and surely no one longs for a continuation of a receding tide. More middle-of-the-road approaches just won’t do. But it’s what seems to continue to be the only menu proffered by most politicians.

While we may be on the cusp of a new revolution sounding like the previous one, the action to get there may lose a piece of its rhyme. Pitchforks, torches, fisticuffs, guns, knives, bats, tire irons, and all other street fighting tools may have seen their day. We have smart phones and tablets that help create a new, different, and very strong voice. Violence and ugly weapon toting human interaction may be replaced with the power of like minds socially networked and activated to impact good outcomes. The smartphone may well be on its way to becoming mightier than the sword in the next revolution.

It’s surprising — with the need for change making itself heard everywhere and with a long, successful history of leading struggles for progress over many generational turns — that unions, to this point, have not yet embraced the power of a revolution builder like Bernie Sanders. He gets it. He hears the call. He has a plan of action. His revolutionary vision and campaign message rhymes with past successful middle class supporting approaches and traditional union values.

But, his methods and approach sound different as he’s hard at work building energized, peaceful human meet-ups and e-uprisings. The guns, knives, and bats are out. Masses of high-octane volunteers armed with smartphones and touchscreens are in.

Maybe labor has had a temporary hearing loss. Maybe the revolution skills are a bit rusty, it’s been a about four generations since the last cycle started. Maybe this generation needs to get more tablets booted up at the labor temples. A lot has changed and more change is coming. But Nov. 8, 2016, could easily be the start of a new verse that rhymes with Nov. 8, 1932, when FDR was elected and the revolution that brought us the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country took off and made Labor Day a perfect occasion for this generation and future ones to cheer the accomplishments of America’s workers.

Leo Canty is a retired vice president of AFT Connecticut. He is volunteering with the Bernie Sanders CT campaign.

DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, positions, or strategies expressed by the author are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of CTNewsJunkie.com.

How Strengthening Unions Helps the Economy

September 15, 2015

When working people join together to form a union, we win. Working folks speaking up together through a union not only raise wages, but also improve working conditions for everyone. Unions are the great counterweight to greedy corporate CEOs: strong unions mean a strong middle class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWtX3fHUJw4

http://aflcio.shpg.org/48/15792?nosignup=true&can_id=728393a01e19e900133076790ecae9bc&source=email-watch-robert-reich-on-the-importance-of-strong-unions&email_referrer=watch-robert-reich-on-the-importance-of-strong-unions

ATTENTION MEMBERS, ADJUNCTS, FORMER ADJUNCTS

October 7, 2015

For publicity related to the upcoming Campus Equity Week, we’re looking for adjuncts or former adjuncts who have had difficulty making ends meet though adjuncting, have found adjunct working conditions difficult (no office, etc) and are willing to talk about it with radio talk show hosts and newspaper reporters. Our goal is to find three adjuncts from each community college who are willing to do this. The ultimate goal of the publicity efforts is to get adjuncts’ pay raised. If you’re willing to discuss your situation, please call Anson Smith at 860-593-8090 or send him your contact info (office, cell, home numbers) as a Facebook message or as an e-mail at ansonsmith@att.net.as soon as possible. If you know someone else who is willing to discuss their experiences, please ask them to contact Anson. Thank you, in solidarity!

President Bonina's Op-Ed, "Cost drives away community college students"

November 30, 2015

Published on eve before Thanksgiving in the New Britain Herald and The Bristol Press, 4Cs President Bryan Bonina discusses inequity in higher education.

- I was delighted to see the Sept. 6 editorial in my hometown newspaper and former employer, the Bristol Press. The editorial, which also ran in the Press’s sister paper, The New Britain Herald, convincingly pled the case for adequately funding Connecticut’s Community Colleges, which are many residents’ best and only hope for a college education.

Today, the editorial noted, even the modest $4,042 annual tuition we offer prices some of our less fortunate students out of the education market. Couple that with the cost of textbooks, which can reach the $200-$300 mark for a single book, and you have an obstacle that, for many of our students, is insurmountable.

Read the full op-ed here.

MLK Day Weekend Event - A Celebration of Unity, Equality, and Democracy

December 21, 2015

SAVE THE DATE for this SEBAC-organized event!

In Connecticut, where the middle class is shrinking, where huge corporations make billions in profits while paying workers less than $10 an hour, and Koch Brothers-funded front groups attack workers for having unions, where critical public services are repeatedly cut and the richest among us pay the lowest tax rates, and where unemployment for Black and Latino people is two to three times higher than for white people, there is a path forward.

More than 50 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. articulated a powerful vision for Unity, Equality & Democracy - a vision that challenged us to fight for genuine equality - for racial justice and economic equality - and to strengthen our democracy. We want to ignite this call for justice within the hearts and minds of families and communities across our state. Join us on the Saturday of Martin Luther King weekend, January 16th, at 10am as we celebrate that vision and talk about concrete ways to move it closer to reality. Labor and Civil Rights -- one movement for a better tomorrow (location: Bethel AME Church, 1154 Blue Hills Ave., Bloomfield).