HARTFORD, CT — As the Committee on Labor and Public Employees prepares to hold public hearings on the bills, a group of lawmakers and union leaders gathered to make clear their support for a labor protection law to protect workers’ jobs following contract changes at their workplace and to advise workers about such changes.
Employee retention is part of House Bill 5003, an omnibus bill that also includes provisions to protect health care workers who are hit on the job, free education at CT State for children of service members, and union provisions for municipal employees, among other things in the bill’s 40 sections and 68 pages. The Senate also introduced a separate bill, Senate Bill 358, on the same issue.
“This is more than just preventing immediate job loss or displacement – it’s about ensuring workers have health insurance and other benefits; it’s about assuring workers that there is an emergency plan in place for us to fight for them,” said Rochelle Palache, vice president and Connecticut regional director of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ. “Countless cities and states, including California, New Jersey, and Delaware, have passed meaningful worker protection laws that protect workers from losing their jobs and hold employers accountable. It’s time for Connecticut to do the same.”
Palache was joined on Tuesday by state Treasurer Erick Russell, state Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, state Rep. Manny Sanchez, D-New Britain, and Josh Stanley, executive secretary of United Here Local 217, a union representing workers in the transportation, food service, hotel, textile, sports and airport industries.
“I think sometimes we lose sight of the people who are going to be affected, and how much of a difference we’re going to make in their lives if we put this legislation into law,” Kushner said. He said that last summer 14 long-term employees of a local company were laid off when the company lost a contract to clean the building to another company. “They shouldn’t have done that.” And the problem of our society is that, we cannot have people who have worked for a company for 20 years suddenly without money, without health care, and without a job.”
Russell called treating workers with fairness and respect “the right thing to do” and said it was good for business and economic stability.
“If companies make unnecessary mistakes in their operations, it can create operational and financial risks,” he said. “Laws that promote transparency and continuity in the workplace are consistent with our strong commitment to economic development and economic leadership.”
The proposal has faced opposition, particularly from business groups concerned that it will make the country less competitive.
Michael Shea, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, said he supports the intent of the bill, but the measure will significantly change the transition process for new service providers at airports and for business partners.
“In short, this bill requires contract agents to provide contract workers who have been suspended for 90 days or more,” he said. “Substantially, it limits the successor’s ability to take action against workers for entering or making a claim, and it opens the successor to the contract and the awarding authority (such as the CAA, airline, cargo operator, or contractor) to greater liability for any breach.”
The proposal, as written, could make airports less attractive for flights and cargo by making operations more difficult and exposing companies to additional legal liability, he said.
“If this bill passes as proposed, we are afraid that it may make pilots and passenger airlines not want to expand their presence, and it may cause other private sector contractors to be reluctant to invest in our airports or respond to our RFPs,” he said.
Mag Morelli, president of LeadingAge for Connecticut and Rhode Island, agreed. LeadingAge is a member association of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and senior homes. Morelli said the proposal would make it more difficult for union members to hire, fire or change contracts.
“Because we have not seen the need for this proposal, we must respectfully oppose this bill as it makes nursing homes and helping the residents more expensive and difficult to manage,” he said.
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