Officers and Leaders To Be Elected
The Democratic Town Committee will start a new two-year term at an organizational meeting Thursday, March 4th at 7 p.m. at New Britain City Hall, 27 West Main Street.
On the agenda will be election of officers and district leaders for the 52-member committee which includes representatives from the city’s 15 voting districts.
Town Chair John McNamara and Vice Chair Robert Sanchez will seek re-election to lead the DTC in this gubernatorial election year. In a letter to members, McNamara and Sanchez said “it has been our shared commitment to organize a diverse and active town committee, a committee that is inclusive and respects all points of view in the Democratic Party, and works to elect Democrats who will be responsible and responsive to their constituents. We want to continue that commitment in a new term.”
“Like any volunteer organization,” the letter stated, “the DTC needs to continuously revitalize itself by recruiting new leaders to serve and run for office, to engage in activities that will maximize citizen participation and to speak out on issues that matter to residents, particularly at the municipal level.”
The DTC leaders also called for new party voter registration drives through canvassing, public events and awareness campaigns. Voter registration near the end of February showed Democrats represent 54% of the electorate with 17,376, Republicans at 10% with 3,220 and unaffiliateds at 35% with 11,296. A total of 32,283residents are registered to vote.
The Town Committee also plans to continue to encourage community service and volunteerism in a new term by filling vacancies for Justices of the Peace.
The March 4th meeting and all meetings of the Democratic Town Committee are open to the public.
Campaign 2010: DTC Delegate Meeting To Be Held March 25th
The 2010 campaign will begin in earnest this month when the Democratic Town Committee will convene Thursday March 25th at 7 p.m. at New Britain City Hall to endorse slates of delegates to this year's political conventions.
New Britain Democrats will send 35 delegates to the May 21-22 state convention where candidates for Governor, U.S. Senate and all the state constitutional offices will be endorsed. An August Primary looms for Governor and other offices. Slates will also be selected for Probate Judge, U.S. Congress,the 6th State Senate, the 22nd and 24th state representative districts.
Support Your Neighbors Who Work For Stop & Shop
A major strike of 15,000 grocery store workers looms in Connecticut if the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)and Stop & Shop management do not agree on a contract this week. Negotiators face a considerable divide on agreeing on a wage and health care package that is reasonable and fair to the work force, according to the latest press reports.
Stop & Shop workers, represented by the UFCW, have voted to authorize a
strike if negotiations fail and they are unable to come up with a fair
contract. The company is mobilizing to hire replacement workers if talks break down. The impasse has significance for the entire food store industry because S&S wages and benefits set a wage standard that other chains must maintain even if the work force is not unionized.
"In the midst of a recession in 2009, Stop & Shop's parent company made over
$28 billion in the first three quarters. In fact, their net sales increased
10% from the same period in 2008. Not bad for a recession," states Citizens for Economic Opportunity (CEO), a CT-based labor advocacy group.
"To make matters worse, they have begun seeking "replacement workers" (aka,
strikebreakers or scabs) and advertising $3 more per hour than they pay
their current employees" according to the CEO statement.
HOW TO HELP
* Agree not to cross a picket line if there is a strike; send a message
* Join the Facebook group
