Upcoming Events
** ALL TICKETS GONE
June 27 @ 5:05 PM-
10PM
Rock Cats Stadium (
New Britain).
Rock Cats v. Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants) Gates open 5:05 PM / Gate Time: 6:35 PM Join the New Britain Rock Cats for the 7th Annual Organized Labor Night!!
New England SEIU Member Leaders in Action
July 10-12 at the SEIU Training Center in Boston
Brass City Comic Con
Sunday, July 12 from 10am-3pm at Naugatuck Valley Community College. Free tickets available!
UALE Summer Schools for Union and Labor Women - Chicago
July 19 -
July 23
DePaul University Education Center,
Chicago
,
IL
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4Cs & Higher Ed, Not Debt Coalition Help Pass Groundbreaking Legislation to Attack the Student Loan Debt Crisis
The Connecticut legislative session ended with a huge victory for students and all Connecticut families. Connecticut ranks 6th in the nation for student debt, with Constitution State graduates owing over $30,000 on average. This year, the Connecticut General Assembly, thanks to the leadership of Senator Danté Bartolomeo, Senator Gary Winfield, State Representative Roberta Willis and State Representative Matthew Lesser, passed several measures that will help bring relief to borrowers and lower costs for current and future students. In leading the nation, students in Connecticut will now have:
- A student loan borrowers "Bill of Rights" that includes a first-in-the-nation Student Loan Ombudsman, empowered to help students victimized by unfair practices by student loan servicers; and
- The ability to refinance debt at lower interest rates through the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA); and
- A pathway to expanding the use of free, open source textbooks that could offset the increasing price of textbooks for students in Connecticut's public colleges and universities; and
- Reduced residency requirement from four years to two years to access in-state tuition for Connecticut students from immigrant families.
Bryan Bonina, President of SEIU Local 1973, the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges said, "Student debt is a national crisis that is burdening future generations and faculty at Connecticut colleges and universities who often have mountains of student debt. We are proud that Connecticut is breaking new ground to contain the skyrocketing cost without sacrificing the quality of higher education. While there are many other issues we need to address in our system of higher education, SEIU Local 1973 and the Higher Ed Not Debt coalition in Connecticut is committed to making sure a college education is within reach for every student."
Read the full press release here.
Statement of Better Choices for CT on the Modifications to the New State Budget
In the budget that was passed by the General Assembly, our lawmakers took steps to address this year's budget challenge by refusing to ask the most from those with the least. Instead of cutting state support for vulnerable children, families, and communities, our elected officials chose to fund essential services by making our revenue system more equitable and progressive.
Once again, following outcry from a few of our state's largest corporations, we must remind our elected officials to make better choices. While these corporations claim that Connecticut's business tax burden is too high, a study by the Ernst and Young for the Council on State Taxation found that Connecticut businesses face the second lowest state and local tax burden in the nation.
Read the full statement here.
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