November/December 2012

On Election Day your vote will determine our future.Why is Michelle

Rhee trying to buy elections?

State of theUnion

Ed u c a t i o n reform was t he m a j or

issue of the last legislative session. It took months of discussion among all stakeholders to ensure the leg-islation we passed would improve education for all children in Con-necticut, not just a select few.

You know who wasn’t at the table for that discussion? Michelle Rhee. Two months into the legislative ses-sion, Rhee showed up with her anti-teacher organization, Students First, calling for reforms that have been found to be deeply flawed. When it became apparent that no one was interested in her faulty ideas, Rhee quickly formed a front group called Great New England Public Schools Alliance (GNEPSA) which spent over $800,000 trying to pass education reforms no one wanted.

Rhee lost but she didn’t go away.

Continued on Page 6

Non-Endorsed Candidates

State of ConnecticutVoting Ballot

Eliminate Medicare and Social Security

Increase Tax Breaks for Millionaires

End Retiree Pensions and

Health Benefits

Reduce Public School Funding

1President

2US Senate

3Congress

4State

Legislature

AFT Connecticut Endorsed

Candidates

Preserve Medicare and Social Security

End the Bush Tax Cuts for Millionaires

Protect Public Pensions

Increase Funding for

Public Schools

Find out who will WORK for us inside.

Sharon PalmerPresident

Melodie PetersFirst Vice President

Leo CantySecond Vice President

Charles MorrellSecretary/Treasurer

Eric BaileyCommunications Director

STATE OF THE UNION is published on an irregular basis up to six times a year by AFT Connecticut, 35 Marshall Road, Rocky Hill, CT 06067.Phone: 860/257-9782www.aftct.orgThird class postage paid at Hartford, CT

Postmaster: Send address changes to: AFT CONNECTICUT 35 Marshall Road Rocky Hill, CT 06067.

Members: To change your address or subscription, call 860/257-9782.

STATE OF THE UNION is mailed to all AFT Connecticut members as a benefit of membership. Subscription fees are included in dues, $20 per year for non-members. Although advertisements are screened as carefully as possible, acceptance of an advertisement does not imply AFT Connecticut endorsement of the product or service.© AFT CONNECTICUT, AFT, AFL-CIO 2009

AFT Connecticut makes its endorsements based on where the candidates stand on the issues that will impact you at work and at home. Issues like support for education, healthcare coverage that’s affordable and a pension that will provide for you when you retire.

Below is a complete list of AFT Connecticut endorsed candidates. You can learn more about the AFT Connecticut endorsement process and the can-didates in the Politics section of our website www.aftct.org.

1 Matt Ritter6 Edwin Vargas8 John Murphy9 Jason Rojas10 Henry Genga12 Geoff Luxenburg15 David Baram18 Andrew Fleischmann20 Joe Verrengia21 Mike Demicco22 Betty Boukus24 Rick Lopes25 Bobby Sanchez26 Peter Tercyak27 Sandy Nafis28 Russ Morin29 Tony Guerrera30 Joe Aresimowicz32 Chris Phelps36 Phil Miller

38 Betsy Ritter39 Ernest Hewett41 Elissa Wright42 Tim Bowles44 Mae Flexer45 Steve Mikutel46 Emmett Riley48 Linda Orange49 Susan Johnson53 Bryan Hurlburt54 Greg Haddad57 Jason Bowsa59 David Kiner60 Peggy Sayers64 Roberta Willis65 Michelle Cook83 Cathy Abercrombie84 Hilda Santiago85 Mary Mushinsky88 Brendan Sharkey

89 Vickie Nardello90 Mary Fritz92 Pat Dillon93 Toni Walker94 Gary Holder-Winfield95 Juan Candelaria99 James Albis100 Matt Lesser104 Linda Gentile109 David Arconti110 Bob Godfrey115 Stephen Dargan116 Lou Esposito117 Paul Davis120 Terry Masters127 Jack Hennessy137 Chris Perone139 Kevin Ryan

1 John Fonfara2 Eric Coleman3 Gary LeBeau4 Steve Cassano5 Beth Bye6 Terry Gerratana7 Karen Jarmoc

10 Toni Harp11 Martin Looney12 Ed Meyer13 Dante Bartolomeo17 Joseph Crisco19 Cathy Osten20 Andrea Stillman

24 Jason Bartlett29 Don Williams31 David Roche33 James Crawford34 Steve Fontana35 Tony Guglielmo

State House of Representatives

State Senate

AFT Connecticut Endorsed Candidates

Chris Murphy 1 John Larson2 Joe Courtney3 Rosa DeLauro4 Jim Himes5 Elizabeth Esty

U.S. CongressU.S. Senate

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AFL-CIO

Barack ObamaJoe Biden

President/Vice President

STATE OF THE UNION 3

COMPARETHECANDIDATES

Mitt RomneyBarack ObamaEducation Jobs

Affordable Healthcare for All

Medicare and Social Security

Wants to cut funding for police offi-cers, firefighters and teachers. (Andrew Rosenthal, New York Times, Taking Note, 6/12/12.)

Signed the American Recovery and Re-investment Act protecting critical public services and stabilizing communities. The ARRA saved or created approxi-mately 300,000 education and public service jobs. (Cynthia McCabe and Tim Walker, nea.org, 2/17/10.)

Signed the landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to reduce the number of uninsured Americans by 30 million, guarantee insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and allow parents to keep their children on their insurance plans until age 26. (Josh Levs, “What the Health Care Rul-ing Means to You,” CNN, 6/28/12.)

Vowed to “repeal and replace” the Pa-tient Protection and Affordable Care Act, thereby leaving 30 million Americans uninsured and allowing insurance com-panies to deny healthcare coverage due to preexisting conditions. (Ezra Klein, “Romney’s Health Care Plan—or Lack Thereof,” Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog, Wash-ington Post, 6/13/12.)

Wants to secure a future for working Americans by strengthening Social Security and Medicare. He has vowed to fight Romney-supported plans to turn Medicare into a voucher system that would hurt the children, disabled and older people who receive healthcare through Medicare. (www.whitehouse.gov/issues/seniors-and-social-security)

Supports a budget plan that would voucherize Medicare—doubling out-of-pocket expenses of seniors—and lead to privatization of Social Security. The plan takes away the benefits workers have earned and shifts costs to current and future retirees. (Joe Klein, “These Sav-ings Are Unreal!” Time, 4/23/12.)

“He [Obama] says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.”Mitt Romney,June 8, 2012

"I've got a question for Governor Romney. How many teachers' jobs

are worth another tax cut for millionaires

and billionaires?"President Barack Obama,

August 22, 2012

When you compare the candidates on the issues, the choice is clear.That is why the AFT has endorsed President Barack Obama for re-election.

For more information, visit www.aft.org/election2012.

4 STATE OF THE UNION

Who is best for working families in

the U.S. Senate?Chris Murphy will keep Connecticut moving forward

Linda McMahon is the wrong choice for Connecticut

Protecting the Right to RetireMurphy opposed the Romney-Ryan plan to privatize Medicare and replace it with a voucher program. He safeguarded guaranteed benefits for seniors today and in the future. (H.Con.Res. 34,Vote 77, 5/25/11)

Putting Working Families FirstMurphy voted to extend tax relief for middle-class families, but voted to let tax breaks for the richest 2% of Americans expire. (H.R. 8, Vote 545, 8/1/12; Vote 543, 8/1/12)

Protecting Jobs and Defending ServicesMurphy opposed massive budget cuts that would have cost hundreds of thousands of jobs and cut vital working family programs and protec-tions, like education and health care. (H.R. 1, Vote 147, 2/19/11)

Threatening Retirement SecurityMcMahon called for a “sunset” to end Social Security and supports proposals to replace Medicare with a voucher scheme. (Huffington Post, 9/26/12; CNBC, 8/17/10)

Putting Millionaires Ahead of Middle-ClassFamiliesMcMahon has called for raising taxes on seniors and the disabled while proposing a tax plan that would give her a $7 mil-lion tax break. (CT News Junkie 9/18/12; New Ha-ven Register, 8/5/12)

Cutting the Safety Net for Middle-ClassFamiliesMcMahon has vowed to slash public programs and eliminate positions, “putting the biggest bur-den on social programs” that help working fami-lies. (New Haven Regis-ter, 8/5/12)

Support candidates who support working families.AFT Connecticut believes Chris Murphy is the best choice

for Connecticut’s working families.

VOTE NOV. 6

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AFL-CIO

STATE OF THE UNION 5

Endorsed Candidates for Congress

Here’s what’s at stake on November 6 in CongressAccess to HealthcareThe Affordable Care Act ensures that children can remain on their parents health plan until age 26, prevents insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions and ensures seniors have continued access to affordable health-care through Medicare. We need representatives who will protect people’s access to healthcare.

Preserving Medicare and Social SecurityThe Romney/Ryan/McMahon plan will turn Medicare into a voucher system and sun-set Social Security. We need representatives who will fight for retirement security for all workers and protect retiree benefits.

Job CreationCongressional Republicans have repeatedly blocked President Obama’s Jobs Act which would provide Connecticut millions of dollars to hire police, firefighter and teachers as well as help rebuild our crumbling schools. We need representatives who will create jobs in Connecticut.

Torrington

Hartford

New Britain

WaterburyNorwich

Danbury

New LondonNew Haven

Bridgeport

Norwalk

Stamford

John Larson

Joe Courtney

Rosa DeLauro

Elizabeth Esty

5

12

34

Jim Himes

6 STATE OF THE UNION

Which candidate is the champion of the

middle class?Elizabeth Esty fights for working families

Andrew Roraback puts working families at risk

Protecting Social Security and MedicareEsty supports our right to retire with dignity and vows “to protect the Medicare and Social Se-curity benefits that work-ing and middle-class families need and have earned.” (The Record-Journal, 8/31/12)

Supporting Access to Health CareEsty believes people shouldn’t be denied coverage for preexisting conditions, young adults should be able to stay on their parents’ insur-ance plans and everyone should have access to quality care. (Hartford Courant, 8/18/12)

Prioritizing EducationEsty would increase funding for community colleges, increase voca-tional training in high schools and end policies that encourage “teach-ing to the test.” (Hartford Courant, 7/5/12; Cam-paignwebsite, accessed 9/5/12)

Abandoning SeniorsRoraback endorsed raising the Social Secu-rity retirement age and reducing cost-of- living adjustments. (Simsbury LWV candidate forum, 3/8/12; Bowles & Simp-son, “Chairmen’s Mark,” 11/10/10)

Limiting Access to Health Care Roraback would allow insurers to deny coverage to people with preexist-ing conditions, charge women more for insur-ance and force young adults off their parents’ plans, while denying relief to malpractice victims. (The Record-Journal, 9/5/12)

Undermining Students and TeachersRoraback voted against expanding access to state schools for Connecticut residents, and supports giving school officials arbitrary power over teacher paychecks. (H.B. 6390, Vote 6, 5/12/11; Campaign website, ac-cessed 9/5/12)

Support candidates who support working families.AFT Connecticut believes Elizabeth Esty is the best

choice for Connecticut’s working families.

VOTE NOV. 6

LABOR2O12

AFL-CIO

STATE OF THE UNION 7

During the August democratic primary for the 19th State Senate seat, GNEPSA pumped more than $42,000 into independent expendi-tures in support of Tom Reynolds’ campaign against union president Cathy Osten.

Reynolds immediately respond-ed: “I want to be clear that my cam-paign and I never sought this group’s endorsement or support, and we do not condone their agenda or tactics. It is outrageous that my campaign is being used by special interests and big money that seek to influence the outcome of elections, a continuation of a disturbing trend we are witness-ing nationwide. The efforts of these groups undermine the integrity of our elections and our political pro-cess.”

In the October 2 democratic runoff election for the 5th State Representative seat, GNEPSA again poured more than $42,000 in inde-pendent expenditures in support of Brandon McGee’s campaign against, you guessed it, union vice president Leo Canty.

Rhee has been raising hundreds of millions of dollars from right wing billionaires, foundations and corporations to buy elections across America. All so she can further her agenda to privatize public education.

Here in Connecticut, candidates in both races were participating in the state’s Citizens’ Election Pro-gram, which is supposed to free candidates from being beholden to special interest groups like Students First/GNEPSA. But people like Mi-chelle Rhee, who are determined to buy influence, will always find a way, unless the people stand up and say no.

You can learn more about Mi-chelle Rhee’s attempts to buy elec-tions across America on our website www.aftct.org

Why is Michelle Rhee trying to buy elections?continued from Page 1

Tenisha Baker, Paraprofessional of the Year

Congratulations to Connecti-cut’s first Paraprofessional of the Year, Tenisha Baker,

who is currently an instructional paraprofessional at Sunset Ridge Elementary Academy for Arts and World Language in East Hartford, Conn. She works with students in Grades 4 through 6 who often need support in language arts and math. In his letter of recommendation, her principal, Emil Kopcha, calls Tenisha, a “valuable member of our school community. Her dedication, pride and commitment are assets that have led her to become the East Hartford Paraprofessional of the Year.” Krystle Sheehan, a special education teacher who works with Ms. Baker adds that “Tenisha will not deny help to any student, iden-tified as having a disability or not. Without question she goes the extra mile to help students with projects, organization, assistance in all sub-ject areas, as well as offer emotional support and a listening ear.”

Among her contributions, Teni-sha developed a Buddy/Buddee Leader Program at her school. In this program, sixth-grade students work with fourth-graders that need extra instruction. Ms. Baker wanted to ensure that students who have some behav ioral challenges are chosen to be the leaders and paired with fourth-graders with behavioral challenges. This gives them the self confidence they need to be role models to the younger students. Ms. Baker mentors the peer leaders, who have risen to the occasion and have improved their behavior because their self-esteem has increased.

There were many factors that inf luenced Ms. Baker to become a paraprofessional including her love for teaching students who have difficulties learning and her appre-ciation for education. The primary reason she decided to become a para-professional is because of her son Daniel. Daniel was a special educa-

tion student re-quiring speech from age t wo and he didn’t st a r t t a l k i ng until age five, which required s p e e c h a n d language un-til sixth-grade and language services through eighth-grade. Some suggested that Ms. Baker wouldn’t do well in his school because the school was geared toward grooming kids who want to go to Ivy League Schools. At the end of that school year, Daniel had B’s and earned all of the most improved awards in every subject. Daniel now attends college. “I decided to enter this field to help all the Daniels’ of East Hartford. I know that there are many kids that just need extra support like Danny. I know that there are many kids that are not as fortunate as Daniel to have supportive family members. It doesn’t mean that they can’t thrive. They are striving to learn and to prove that they can do better.”

As Paraprofessional of the Year, Ms. Baker will serve on the School Paraprofessional Advisory Council and will represent paraprofession-als in forums and conferences that highlight the effective utilization and evaluation of paraprofessionals across the state. Ms. Baker and all district paraprofessionals of the year will be recognized during SERC’s Paraprofessionals as Partners Con-ference on Wednesday, November 14, 2012, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cromwell.

8 STATE OF THE UNION

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