Connecticut Teamsters Demand Lawmakers Protect Striking Workers, Improve Warehouse Safety

https://teamster.org/2025/02/connecticut-teamsters-demand-lawmakers-protect-striking-workers-improve-warehouse-safety/

Legislation Would Address Unreasonable Production Quotas, Extend UI to Workers on Strike

Press Contact: Matt McQuaid Phone: (771) 241-0015 Email: mmcquaid@teamster.org

(HARTFORD, Conn.) – Teamsters spearheaded a labor delegation at the Connecticut state capitol to demand lawmakers pass legislation that would enhance warehouse safety and provide unemployment insurance for striking workers.

“These bills are essential for protecting Connecticut workers, and our elected officials can send a strong message to working families that they are on their side by enacting them into law,” said Rocco Calo, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 1150 and Teamsters International Vice President for the Eastern Region. “State lawmakers already demonstrated they’re capable of sticking up for workers’ rights when they made Connecticut the first state in the country to outlaw mandatory attendance at anti-union propaganda sessions. There’s no reason they can’t do the same thing on these two measures.”

House Bill 6904 would allow workers on strike to collect unemployment insurance after two weeks, while House Bill 6907 would increase safety protections for warehouse workers in the state, including limits on production quotas to prevent stress-related injuries. Senate Bill 8, the companion legislation in the upper chamber, does both.

“This bill would send a message to abusive employers across the state that they cannot expect to continue the practice of exploiting their workforce or illegally stalling out workers in contract negotiations,” said Tony Lepore, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 671. “The more protections workers have, the more likely it is that workplace injuries and strikes can be avoided altogether.”

FULL story at link above.