It was revolutionary for its time. Enacted in 1935, the National Labor Relations Act gave workers in private industry the right to organize and collectively bargain. For public employees, however, there is no such federal right. Each state determines whether to allow its public employees to collectively bargain. For four decades after the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935, Connecticut did not negotiate with its employees on issues ranging from working conditions and wages to pensions and health care. The results were disastrous.
March 2018
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Big Brother is along for the ride
Don’t look now, but someone is joining your travels: Big Brother. You assume you’re alone, traveling in your car to and from work? No, you are being watched. All along I-95 TV cameras are looking for accidents and slow downs. Though there are specific state laws prohibiting the use of those cameras to write speeding tickets, they can follow […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Energy bill heads for committee showdown, uncertain future
With the Energy and Technology Committee’s approval deadline for bills this session on Thursday, committee leaders, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the governor’s office and environmental advocates are racing the clock on one of the most consequential energy bills in years. Solar policy could stop them — again.
Posted inPolitics
Senate GOP blocks confirmation of McDonald as chief justice
Senate Republicans voted as a bloc Tuesday to deny the confirmation of Andrew J. McDonald as chief justice of Connecticut Supreme Court, stopping the ascent of a political and legal trailblazer for the gay community, a factor that opponents insisted was irrelevant and supporters said could not be ignored. Sen. Joan Hartley of Waterbury was the lone Democrat to vote against McDonald’s confirmation, which failed 19 to 16.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Republican drive to turn Connecticut red will hurt them
Today the Connecticut Senate Republicans intend to vote down the nomination of Justice Andrew J. McDonald as chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Why? Senator Len Fasano’s assertion that McDonald being gay is not why they are rejecting him is credible. Yet, being aware that his sexual orientation makes McDonald more vulnerable to attack, they have taken advantage of that.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
The national popular vote won’t solve the problem
The debate over a proposed compact in which Connecticut would cast its seven electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote is missing the forest through the trees. The problem isn’t that presidents win despite the popular vote. The problem is that presidents win despite not winning a majorities in the states. That may seem like a distinction without a difference, but it’s not.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Advice for would-be candidates — from a candidate
An open letter to anyone thinking about running for office: My name is Micah Welintukonis. I was medically retired from the Army almost two years ago after being shot, then subsequently taking a direct hit from a suicide bomber on July 9, 2012. Some of the injuries I sustained were over two dozen pieces of shrapnel in my left arm, shrapnel in my abdomen and face, and a mild concussion. I was awarded the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation with Valor, and the Combat Medic Badge for my actions that day. I am running as an unaffiliated candidate for governor of Connecticut.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Community college consolidation is a risky experiment
The Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education continues its push to consolidate the 12 state community colleges into one, having most recently just submitted a necessary change proposal to the regional accreditor, NEASC, for their approval. Promoters of the plan have, among other things, circulated a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article that features the experiment in Maine to carry out their own version of consolidation.
Posted inPolitics
White House encouraging states to consider red-flag law CT pioneered
The White House will be encouraging states to consider enacting a law Connecticut pioneered that allows the seizure of guns from people who might hurt themselves or others, administration officials said Monday.
Posted inPolitics
GOP tells Malloy it will block confirmation of McDonald
Senate Republican leader Len Fasano informed Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday that all 18 GOP senators intend to vote Tuesday against the confirmation of his friend and former legal adviser, Andrew J. McDonald, as chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. With the recusal of one Democratic senator in the evenly divided Senate, the GOP has a majority of 18-17 on the question of whether McDonald would be confirmed as the first openly gay chief justice of the highest court in any state.
Posted inPolitics
AG George Jepsen endorses Ned Lamont for governor
Attorney General George Jepsen, who backed Ned Lamont’s challenge of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in 2006, is endorsing his candidacy for governor, the Lamont campaign said Monday.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Time for Connecticut to act on Tesla
Automobile accidents are fourth leading cause of death in the world. If these new technologies save a single injury or death, I say bring it on. I will gladly get ready for the future knowing that we will need to adapt to thrive and survive. But not everyone in our state is ready to embrace change. For those of you who may not have been paying close attention, Tesla – the electric car manufacturer that has been leading the charge against climate change – is trying now for the fourth year to gain the ability to sell its vehicles and other products here in Connecticut.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Can Connecticut regain its former glory?
As the gubernatorial campaign heats up with dozens of candidates, we’re hearing plans and promises to restore Connecticut to its former glory. Yet none of the candidates so far give any evidence of careful study of our distress — nor any evidence of being familiar with the well developed field of municipal and state economics and fiscal policies. So a new governor is likely to be more of the same. Regaining our past glories will be a matter of decades.
Posted inPolitics
Omnibus has millions to strengthen CT voting system against cyber attacks
WASHINGTON — The massive omnibus spending bill President Donald Trump has signed into law contains $380 million — including up to $5 million for Connecticut — to protect digital voting systems from cyberattacks. Connecticut was one of 21 states targeted by Russian hackers in the 2016 election cycle, but they failed to breach the state’s electoral system.
Posted inNews
Legislative season when the livin’ is … complicated
It’s legislative hearing season in Connecticut – when proposals meet counter-proposals, lobbyists work overtime, time is always running short and just about everyone wants something included in the budget.