Lamont to get union nod, but enthusiasm lags
In 2018, then-gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont, a wealthy Greenwich businessman, emerged as the favorite among labor unions in a crowded Democratic field – a constituency that was key to his success that November.
Now, four years later, Gov. Lamont does not have to worry about union support, but rather, how strongly labor will come out for him.
Inside a large ballroom Thursday at Foxwoods Resort & Casino where Connecticut AFL-CIO is holding its two-day political convention, union delegates showed signs of dissatisfaction with the incumbent governor, who now has a political record to run on.
Introducing Lamont, AFL-CIO president Ed Hawthorne noted his support of paid family and medical leave, a $15 minimum wage and a ban on captive audience meetings, which unions see as an aggressive tactic to hinder organizing efforts— drawing applause from the crowd.
As Lamont stood at the podium for his candidate interview before the large crowd, one-by-one delegates stepped up to the microphone and thanked him for his support of essential workers during the pandemic and for the recent labor contracts that provide bonuses and pay raises to unionized state workers.
But they also drew attention to lingering issues such as the staffing shortages plaguing a wide range of jobs from health care to transportation.
“We are working our nurses to death. They are working 16 hours day, five and six days a week. They can't keep it up. These are the people who are keeping you safe, keeping you healthy and keeping you alive,” said Jean Morningstar with University Health Professionals Local 3837.
She urged Lamont to follow California's lead, which is the only state in the country to require a minimum number of nurses-to-patients in hospitals.
Another delegate, Darnell Ford, of SEIU 1199, said his workplace, Albert J. Solnit Psychiatric Center-South Campus in Middletown, CT is a children's psychiatric facility, already suffered from staffing shortages prior to the COVID pandemic. The pandemic exacerbated the problem he said and resulted in a cut to services.
“Most of these jobs and services that are being provided are from people who look like, me, Black and brown, middle-class individuals,” Ford said.
The wave of retirements expected across the state workforce will only worsen the problem, he added. Workers are looking for a leader who will commit to filling open jobs and ensure adequate staffing.
Several delegates referenced the hazard pay they were promised for risking their health and safety during the pandemic. The state has set aside $35 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for pandemic pay but there's been debate about who will get it. Lamont has said he views the bonuses and raises recently awarded to state workers as a form of pandemic pay.
For his part, Lamont continues to position himself as a close ally of labor – a theme he played up on Thursday.
“I believe in the union movement. I believe in what each and every one of you have done,” he said. “I know that union movement fights for the middle class and fights for each and every one of us.”
While the enthusiasm of four years ago may have waned, Lamont is expected to get the endorsement of the state's largest labor organization when its 257 delegates vote on the slate of candidates to support Friday afternoon.
There is little, if any support, among the delegates for Lamont's opponent, Republican Bob Stefanowski, who did not fill out the candidate questionnaire circulated by AFL-CIO or address the convention. Many delegates expressed concern that Stefanowski represented a threat to bargaining rights for publicsector workers and that Connecticut would turn into a right to work state overnight, if he were elected.
Republicans including gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley have addressed delegates at past conventions, but many assume it's a lost cause because the endorsements usually favor Democrats. State Rep. Tom Delnicki, R-South Windsor, was the only GOP candidate to fill out AFL-CIO's questionnaire this year, according to a spokesman for the labor organization.
On Thursday, delegates also interviewed candidates for lieutenant governor, comptroller and treasurer. On Friday, they will hear from candidates for U.S. Senate, Secretary of the State, and Attorney General.
Once the endorsements are decided, the state's largest labor organization will turn its focus to turning out the labor vote in November through door-to-door canvassing, phone banks, mailings, and engaging members in the workplace.