HARTFORD – As promised “at least 80 times,” Gov. Ned Lamont told members of the press he would veto any legislation that would create a state unemployment fund for striking workers.
During a press gaggle Thursday, May 29, Lamont responded to a question about his actions following a state Senate 24-11 vote to approve such a fund Wednesday by saying he doesn’t think it’s the right thing to do.
“I guess that means I’m going to veto it,” Lamont said. “I think I’ve said that about 80 times. I don’t think it’s the right move for the state. If you want to make sure this is a state that grows and adds good-paying jobs for people, I don’t think the striking workers bill is the way to go.”
Despite the veto threat, Democratic leaders in the House vow to vote on the measure in the final week of the session coming up soon. House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) said Wednesday that the bill, Senate Bill 8, would get a vote in the House before the legislature reaches its constitutional deadline of midnight on June 4.
State Republican leaders were glad to see the governor reiterate his feelings about the legislation.
“Good,” said Senate GOP leader Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield). “We appreciate and commend the governor for calling out Democrats for yet again passing this anti-business, anti-rank and file union worker bill. Our Senate Republican press conference earlier today repeatedly urged him to do exactly that.”
Senate Pro Temp Martin Looney (D-New Haven) defended the legislation that passed the Senate.
“This is not putting a thumb on the scale to over-balance the scale for workers,” Looney told the Connecticut Mirror. “This is to at least reduce the tipping of the scale in the other direction, by at least a bit, Looney said. “That’s really how I see it.”
The CBIA and management of RTX, parent company of Pratt & Whitney, don’t see it that way.
CBIA President and CEO Chris DiPentima called the legislation “terrible public policy that sets a dangerous precedent.”
“Long-standing employee protections under state and federal law already achieve the proper balance between the unemployment system’s policy goals and collective bargaining rights,” he said.
Peter Holland, RTX vice president, state & local government relations, wrote in a letter to members of the state House of Representatives that his company has “grave concerns” about the bill. His company just settled a three-week strike with the IAM union.
“Paying employees who refuse to work during a strike would significantly skew this balancing of leverages: Having nothing to lose, employees are incentivized to hold out for an even “better” deal,” he wrote. “Such a significant skewing of the parties’ respective leverages would yield unsustainable labor contracts for Connecticut manufacturers, further exacerbating their existing Connecticut labor challenges and rendering other states more viable options for future work — ultimately putting at risk the very people whom this legislation is ostensibly intended to protect.”
He pointed out that under the terms of its newly ratified contract with the International Association of Machinists, Pratt & Whitney union-represented Connecticut employees’ median base pay is now over $51 an hour, an increase of over 26% in the last five years.
Employees will see their pay increase to over $57 an hour by the end of the new, four-year contract. With voluntary overtime and other premiums, the typical Pratt union-represented employee in Connecticut likely will see annual earnings this year of over $140,000.
