[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6659373,"mediaKeyId","2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74","parentId",2471609,"title","Teachers and unions press for automatic job postings and faster hiring to fill vacancies","audioSeconds",5188,"startMs",4977000,"endMs",10165000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74&start=4977&end=10165","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74/thumbnail_4977000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6659373/Connecticut/Teachers-and-unions-press-for-automatic-job-postings-and-faster-hiring-to-fill-vacancies","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659373-3fce33700d34cdb5c10ad7b14f377af8/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586799&Signature=OG6AlOy8w8bPb4aqpw76d6DGFZWA6UakEmZKEVLBJfivMXVoMw9ZX9BveQZHiT-vHe9aLSHedfgRu~4V5GwLC57a46Ym-v8RQvdf6h1EnqHlzf35UUeBZdVebyBPLk79kWoz0M0DDST76ca2-0hL0HHnGMzVB6d4EmHhh2uvCmqr4SYmcZw7PD~GqdjmjAJoy8XXocwFwB33h47YNPUiDsMeI~5DC8XdkMSjX8lcWC7MbKZSXKmmUFsPaTVxXxxKQcCKsxc3s0sKsUeHAkdZ4-ZUH8EvF84Izsy8pvzwh7EVuTyYrqhPizyDaU0v0M0X8K6wTapt7TdTiXKDQ0TUGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Connecticut State Legislature - Labor and Public Employee","date","2025-02-28T15:54:35.847Z","article","Teachers, vocational educators and union representatives urged the committee to adopt HB 7047 and related measures to shorten the time between a vacancy and a filled position.

Paul Angelusi, president of trade‑school teachers and a former plumbing/heating teacher, testified he supports HB 7047 and urged adding language to require timely filling as well as automatic posting. \"When these positions come open due to illness or retirement, sort of last minute, the vacancy in the shop is detrimental to the kids,\" Angelusi said, adding that extended vacancies leave students without skilled instruction.

Mackenzie Hurtado, vice president of the State Vocational Federation of Teachers, described arriving midyear to teach a class that had been without a math teacher for five months and said vacancies can persist for months because positions are not posted or processed until after employees depart. \"This problem does not just affect our students without a teacher. It burdens other teachers who are stretched thin,\" Hurtado said.

Logan Place, an attorney and co‑coordinator with the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (CBAC), testified in support of HB 7047 and said the bill should be strengthened to require not only posting but also reasonable time frames to fill positions once posted. \"Delays in the hiring process means positions remain vacant longer. This results in reduced services for the public and more stressful and often more dangerous working conditions for state employees who are working understaffed,\" Place said.

Place and other witnesses urged the committee to pursue follow‑up meetings with the Department of Administrative Services and CBAC to refine language and address causes of delay in approvals, background checks and onboarding. Committee members said they expect to continue discussions and asked stakeholders to provide specific proposals for reasonable timelines to fill posted positions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Labor & Public Employees Committee Public Hearing 2/27","oneSentenceSummary","Educators and union representatives urged the committee to require automatic posting and faster filling of state and CTE vacancies (HB 7047), citing long delays that leave classrooms and training programs understaffed and negatively affect students.","taxTitle","Labor and Public Employees, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Connecticut","taxId",15632,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6659378,"Teachers and advocates urge state law to match federal Pump Act for workplace breastfeeding protections",8526,744000,9270000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74&start=744&end=9270","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74/thumbnail_744000.jpg","/articles/6659378/Connecticut/Teachers-and-advocates-urge-state-law-to-match-federal-Pump-Act-for-workplace-breastfeeding-protections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659378-8b4d6cc7844ffd17326a6f1427d9da86/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586799&Signature=ThUQSWFZzkyXfDRhZ7rCRbx3JdNozb7uvLedO9VSH7B~5Kg~K61cmXnlSYp35gdan0yVyf3n3kYGhToF6zDnWIxR8kqg0DL7VHnzQdltJEu753Vi0yYDFABgx3GfhfOkiXkr4D8aHjrxjNLjdQKsG2~hYg-sX59PtMx~DO84kuDTPE1gDbW1kA8XeIrChVVUXVkSEt~woTYmCgrFEpaLPYvaIbTg8lLoF2R7rA5wtsXW8E3zWBtt1igsSRoT106HkE3Qr-XLHNnLHjlw0Zy1iApD8Dt7uspKCLZcMfbEG05KRtLON4faPK-vVxXl2gqKiJO0xwsFy7is2ACfp-UBig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Advocates and a teacher testified the Labor and Public Employees Committee should align Connecticut law with recent federal protections that guarantee reasonable break time and private space to express breast milk.

Senator Jan Hockadel introduced testimony on Senate Bill 1030 and ceded time to Chad Cardillo, a social studies teacher at Maloney High School in Meriden and a local union leader. Cardillo described a colleague who left teaching because of difficulties finding time and space to express breast milk after returning from leave. \"We know that even though it exists in federal law, we've seen over the past couple weeks that just because language exists in federal law, it doesn't mean the rights are going to trickle down to the states,\" Cardillo said, urging alignment of state and federal language.

Michelle Siegel (assistant treasurer) provided testimony on a different technical bill (HB 7046) but the committee then heard additional testimony on breastfeeding protections. Testifying by phone and in person, teachers described the particular scheduling realities of K‑12 education, where teachers often do not have repeatable break periods and must secure coverage for their classroom to pump.

Teacher Ashley Brooksbank, a high school social studies teacher, described pumping schedules and classroom coverage and urged that Connecticut not limit lactation accommodation to a worker's regular meal or break period. She recommended wording closer to the federal law, which requires \"reasonable break time each time such employee has the need to express milk,\" rather than language that could be read to confine pumping to scheduled breaks. \"As written, the Connecticut law does not seem to align with the realities of the needs of pumping in a less flexible workplace and could inadvertently limit employees' access to necessary accommodation,\" Brooksbank said.

Witnesses also asked for clearer language around private, non‑bathroom lactation spaces and refrigeration for expressed milk; several speakers emphasized the practical differences for elementary, special education and secondary teachers and urged the committee to adopt language that ensures flexibility and privacy in school settings.

The committee received testimony and did not take a final vote at the hearing.","Witnesses supporting Senate Bill 1030 and related House bills told the Labor and Public Employees Committee that Connecticut should align state law with the Federal Pump Act of 2023 to ensure flexible break time and appropriate private lactation spaces, particularly for teachers who lack routine breaks during the school day.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6659383,"Teachers, unions press for 'just cause' and binding arbitration in dismissal statute",2941,5100000,8041000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74&start=5100&end=8041","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74/thumbnail_5100000.jpg","/articles/6659383/Connecticut/Teachers-unions-press-for-just-cause-and-binding-arbitration-in-dismissal-statute","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659383-5941c036d7467acb1bed7d2ab1853197/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586799&Signature=EJT591mKXBEyuB-hw46s4xUajSpvME93lg8JFAzt6PJhNeSSNDmIE5swIvf4px3L7bdG8oyDl6xqS39N5sChSVkkLcQMc3nfIW4zk1vnxf06bphj6dzYl1yORxfdIUBadQ6Lm5bBrTMplLRTY8hyiHV~ScfVcFg-NsOu446M8QtKCWixmTtUOTnK8P6cqfIYaKeXtqQ8J04yaWGTu60YIcbzbfpNEetz4P2Gm-SS4Gp7IHtYWiFfjEROpl-mOIXW1m56rV~VyWB8crGq~plERa9OIU7xyjJru2c7fDuEvfnWT5c8YWLzsDNAPe-0xXgSPqCFZkCvGobPO9bjDYQHbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Teachers, union representatives and education association leaders testified in favor of Senate Bill 1371, calling it a measure to bring teacher termination protections in line with other public employees.

James Demetriades, an attorney representing AFT Connecticut, summarized the current statutory framework under Conn. Gen. Stat. 10‑151(d), explaining that teachers are subject to a different standard than other public school employees. He said court decisions have treated \"other due and sufficient cause\" as a lesser standard than just cause and recommended the bill clarify that the standard of review for all enumerated reasons be just cause.

Kate Diaz, president of the Connecticut Education Association, and numerous local union leaders and teachers described real‑world effects: educators reported being disciplined or pressured to resign after public controversies or complaints, sometimes without a clear procedural path to a final, impartial resolution. \"It's actually easier to terminate us than to discipline us,\" Diaz said, describing a chilling effect on educators' civic engagement and classroom advocacy.

Ed Thibodeaux and Mike Casey of CEA outlined the two main changes SB 1371 would make: (1) require a just cause standard that applies consistently across the statutory reasons for dismissal and (2) make the neutral hearing officer's decision final and binding on boards of education. \"Teachers could win every battle but still lose the war,\" Thibodeaux said, describing cases in which hearing officers recommended reinstatement but boards overturned those recommendations.

Panelists urged an amendment to the bill to state explicitly that the just cause standard applies to all six enumerated reasons in the statute, not only the sixth category. Several testified that doing so would provide clarity, fairness and parity with other public employees who already benefit from just‑cause protections and binding arbitration.

Supporters said the change would protect teachers' due process rights without eliminating the ability to discipline or dismiss for legitimate reasons. The committee took testimony but did not record a final vote during the hearing.","Education unions, teachers and advocates urged the Labor and Public Employees Committee to adopt SB 1371, which would replace the current 'other due and sufficient cause' standard for teacher termination with a just cause standard and make neutral hearing decisions binding on boards of education.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6659386,"Building trades urge lawmakers to require prevailing wage for off‑site custom fabrication on public projects",2433,2295000,4728000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74&start=2295&end=4728","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74/thumbnail_2295000.jpg","/articles/6659386/Connecticut/Building-trades-urge-lawmakers-to-require-prevailing-wage-for-offsite-custom-fabrication-on-public-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659386-f363d18766c05dc1f9946fffc16a2dc9/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586799&Signature=VqIxWrcM8HIFmF4tfEXJFFiBoso1rn5XARDjiX8kLKAlVGUH797rqo0mv1QUTYiDXF9xNm7kI7KkhiAaO5dNWCAeSKPdHIj54LVEJ-oY2ddBT11Y0~XdjvYHMDOHgd6nG7tOlvd58MyaT8SsPauRGz-CSqjE0Xgc6j7vQ0bppjm~xI5~pBpFScVc2BycoP8iRme~5n~nFJJBi4wn9XEM0Z~lfac9UqcjzJ5-To-tkDm9~A5rRdA1WZAibIkWbFwzSa2-Z~5RX4Q319C4p-f~aLCBvXaMstb3cLwS7yIPlQPPw7xAyQ0ndvBvTmtY1t828oB~EhotilAAEU9XIElWxQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Union leaders, contractors and tradespeople told the Labor and Public Employees Committee that prevailing wage protections should apply to off‑site custom fabrication used on publicly funded projects.

Ed Hawthorne, president of the Connecticut AFL‑CIO, opened remarks supporting SB 1370, calling prevailing wage a tool that ensures local living wages for workers on public projects. \"The prevailing wage ensures that workers on public projects are paid fair wages in the local area in their trade,\" he said.

Joe Toner, executive director of the Connecticut State Building Trades, said modern construction practices increasingly move fabrication from the job site to off‑site shops but that work is performed for a specific public project and should be paid the same prevailing wage as on‑site workers. \"What is happening in this industry is 1 third, 30 percent of the materials are getting dropped off at the shop and fabrication is being done at the shop for that same project,\" Toner said.

Sheet Metal Workers Local 38 President Michael Colombo and representatives from the Plumbers and Pipefitters unions described workers who perform complicated prefabrication using CNC and BIM 3‑D modeling tools in controlled environments and said those employees often receive substantially lower shop rates when the same worker performs the same work on‑site at prevailing wage rates. Michael Colombo gave an example where prevailing wage might be $80 per hour while off‑site workers were paid $30–$40 per hour.

Panelists said this pay disparity undercuts local economies and training pathways. Jay Moore, representing Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 777, provided data he said showed recent bids across counties where union and open‑shop bidders both bid at prevailing wage levels, arguing that prevailing wage requirements do not necessarily increase project costs. Moore said he collected 23 proposed bids (14 union, 9 open shop) as a sample and offered to submit the bid results to the committee clerk.

Supporters said the bill closes an unintended gap: when prevailing wage laws were written, off‑site custom fabrication was rare; modern BIM and prefabrication now move significant portions of work to shops, but statutes do not always cover that work.

Opponents were not present in person at this panel, and the committee did not take a final vote at the hearing. Proponents asked lawmakers to pass SB 1370 to ensure workers who contribute to publicly funded projects receive fair wages and that taxpayer funds support local living standards and apprenticeship training pathways.","Union leaders and trades workers testified in support of SB 1370, which would require prevailing wage pay for workers performing off‑site custom fabrication for state or municipal public works projects; proponents said technology has shifted much fabrication off site and leaving those workers uncovered is unfair and harms local economies.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6659391,"Family of slain DOT worker urges extension of death benefits and uninsured motorist coverage for state road crews",1244,1188000,2432000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74&start=1188&end=2432","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2471609-5d9fedc7ca0119dd91d5585ac1034e74/thumbnail_1188000.jpg","/articles/6659391/Connecticut/Family-of-slain-DOT-worker-urges-extension-of-death-benefits-and-uninsured-motorist-coverage-for-state-road-crews","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659391-425234320288e835c10e853b84cc9bf4/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586799&Signature=hcXp8sm~51OlhOwTmDXH6R1eAE1VogEwiKOmyII80tPdkd220S6bgky5GpX20tu2XtO5ojvqVQDAqCqC7lZpePDqwn0hD4O91P2UCxK7OoDgIm6vNnwvkg~Dw0Oic1obZd5-qYaY9rJqJBq1SQfTECu5KHBiY79ZzGaR97LKK400NKbXfwTGR6Uns4PwymcdZaUUF9OTP9Qtbta4ZsEvnA-73n475B80UOZ5wRp~E5pAIxY35LK3A2WI5LOaWTHej6ly-VmBYbCRCstnU15qEiy~nRzcwv9mVTTtrDAsEGm1dLCqIWXJhRzYpLnkdprs3VD5-~6csMhb1P81G3o4-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the family of Andrew de Domenico, Connecticut Department of Transportation officials and labor leaders told the Legislative Labor and Public Employees Committee that two bills before the panel would close gaps in protections for state road crews.

Sherry, Sal and Vincenzo de Domenico testified in support of House Bill 6408 and House Bill 6413, saying their 26‑year‑old son, Andrew, was killed on 06/28/2024 while performing road work and received no workers' compensation because he had no spouse or children. \"We respectfully urge passage of HB 6408 and HB 6413,\" Sherry de Domenico said.

The bills would do two things: HB 6408 would expand who may receive compensation in the event of a death resulting from an on‑the‑job accident to include additional family members such as parents and siblings; HB 6413 would require the state to provide uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of $1,000,000 to Department of Transportation employees in cases where an injured or killed worker encountered an uninsured or underinsured driver.

Paul Rizzo, Bureau Chief of Highway Operations at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, testified in strong support on behalf of Commissioner Garrett Yucolito. \"These fatal crashes create holes in families and tear communities apart,\" Rizzo said, adding that work‑zone incidents and collisions into DOT vehicles are common. He told the committee the agency has lost 38 employees in the line of duty over its history and cited statistics he said illustrate rising danger: between 2020 and 2022, more than 2,500 crashes and 10 fatalities occurred in work zones, and a 2023 pilot program issued more than 20,000 speeding warnings in work zones.

Labor leaders including Carl Chisholm, president of Connecticut Employees Union Independent SEIU Local 511, and Ed Hawthorne, president of the Connecticut AFL‑CIO, also urged passage. Chisholm said the current workers' compensation scheme leaves families without recourse if a worker dies without a spouse or child. \"Andrew and his family paid the ultimate price to the state of Connecticut, and I urge the committee to support these bills in an attempt to make future families whole,\" he said.

Representatives and committee chairs expressed sympathy and support; no final vote was taken at the hearing. Testimony included multiple accounts that DOT crews routinely face dangerously close passes, speeding and impaired drivers while working on highways.

What it would change: HB 6408 would amend the workers' compensation statute to permit dependents beyond spouse and children to receive death benefits when the decedent dies in a work‑related accident. HB 6413 would require state uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for DOT employees at $1,000,000 for injuries or death caused by uninsured or underinsured motorists. Supporters noted that State Police currently have that coverage and said extending it to DOT employees is consistent with the state's duty to protect workers who operate in roadway work zones.

Committee action and next steps: Both bills were the subject of a public hearing at which family members, DOT management, union leaders and advocacy groups testified in support. The committee did not record a final vote during the hearing; the proposals remain before the committee for further consideration.

Context: Witnesses repeatedly framed the bills as responses to a recent, highly publicized fatal crash that killed a young DOT employee and as a policy change to avoid leaving surviving families with no statutory compensation because of narrow definitions in current law.

Speakers quoted in this article are those who testified at the Labor and Public Employees Committee public hearing and are identified by name and role in committee records.","Family members of Andrew de Domenico, labor unions and DOT officials testified in favor of two bills that would expand death benefits to dependents beyond spouse/children and require $1,000,000 uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for Connecticut Department of Transportation employees.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Teachers and unions press for automatic job postings and faster hiring to fill vacancies

Teachers and advocates urge state law to match federal Pump Act for workplace breastfeeding protections

Teachers, unions press for 'just cause' and binding arbitration in dismissal statute

Building trades urge lawmakers to require prevailing wage for off‑site custom fabrication on public projects

Family of slain DOT worker urges extension of death benefits and uninsured motorist coverage for state road crews