UPDATE: On November 19th, the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges rallied with students, community members, and other workers called on lawmakers in Connecticut at a rally to invest in public education and push back against calls for austerity. Read more about this action in the Hartford Courant.

On October 20, a coalition of workers and activists gathered in Hartford to call attention to the the suffering of workers and communities in the midst of COVID-19. In introducing “The People’s Recovery” budget, the coalition called for state and local officials to prioritize the needs of low-income, BIPOC, and vulnerable communities over Connecticut’s wealthy.

While the state’s millionaires and billionaires get richer, many in Connecticut face job losses, evictions, and dire financial stress. Others, frontline workers, care workers, and retails workers, still lack consistent access to what they need to serve their communities and clients: PPE, paid sick time, child care, and hazard pay. Black and Brown families bear a disproportionate burden of loss due to COVID while the wealthy have access to the best care and resources.

As the pandemic continues, Connecticut is considering major cuts to the public services that keep communities safe and whole. Austerity is not the answer to this crisis. Check out this report from Americans for Tax Fairness and Connecticut Citizen Action Group on how Connecticut’s wealthiest have benefited from the pandemic. State leaders have a chance to make things right by passing progressive taxes and reinvesting in communities for a people’s recovery and promoting the common good for all.

You can read more about the October 20 action in the Hartford Courant. The Connecticut People’s Coalition includes SEIU State Council, SEIU 1199, CT Citizen Action Group, Connecticut State Employees Association (CSEA), the Congress of CT Community Colleges (4Cs), Connecticut Employees Union Independent (CEUI), Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors (CSU-AAUP), Naugatuck Valley Project, UAW Region 9A, SEIU 32BJ, New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, CT Working Families and others.