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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Matt O'Connor, Communications Director, CSEA/SEIU Local 2001
(860) 221-5696 | moconnor@csea760.com

LAWMAKERS JOIN PUBLIC SAFETY PROFESSIONALS TO TELL GOVERNOR RELL, "END COSTLY COURT APPEALS"

Thursday, September 04, 2008

State Police captains and lieutenants to speak at Capitol News Briefing with legislative leaders on latest Court ruling upholding their rights to a voice on the job

WHAT:     Capitol News Briefing with General Assembly House and Senate Leaders on Rell Administration's Appeal of DPS Captains and Lieutenants' Union Rights

WHEN:      Thursday, September 4 beginning at 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:    Room 1C of the Legislative Office Building, located at 300 Capitol Avenue, in Hartford

DETAILS:  State lawmakers are appealing to Governor M. Jodi Rell to end more than two years of her Administration's refusal to recognize the free choice of State Police captains and lieutenants to unite for a voice on the job. Despite a Superior Court Judge ruling against them in May, the Governor's Office of Policy and Management (OPM) has directed the law firm it contracted earlier this year to file yet another appeal, this time in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

"It is time to move forward and accept the vote of the Department of Public Safety's (DPS) captains and lieutenants to bargain collectively," Representative Stephen Dargan (D-West Haven), Public Safety Committee House Chair said. "The Administration should negotiate and end its litigation" he continued.

The Rell Administration has opposed the efforts of these public safety professionals to gain a voice on the job since their unanimous vote in 2006 to join CSEA/SEIU Local 2001. The State Board of Labor Relations has since ruled twice in favor of their right to unionize, and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal affirmed these decisions by refusing to represent the Administration in their appeals.

"We should be giving our full support to our State Police, whether they are troopers or captains," said Senator Gayle Slossberg (D-Milford), Co-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee. "It makes no sense to spend thousands of dollars fighting with our state police force when we should be working together with them to protect the citizens of our state" she concluded.

Members of CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 working as captains and lieutenants at DPS will tell their story at the news briefing, which is taking place the same week workers across the nation celebrated Labor Day. Participating union members will also be available for comment immediately following the event.
CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 represents 25,000 active and retired public sector workers serving in state, municipal, and town agencies, as well as local school boards across Connecticut. The union’s membership also includes workers with non-profit organizations and private companies contracted to provide public services through state and local government agencies.