Keith M. Phaneuf

A major state employee union is using last spring's unsuccessful bid to cancel longevity bonuses for senior, non-union state employees to rally support for its long-running battle to allow managers to bargain collectively.

An affiliate of the Connecticut State Employees Association/Service Employees International Union sent out letters last week to about 2,500 non-union managers reminding them of a March 11 proposal from the House Republican Caucus to cancel about $4.7 million in bonus payments due in April. Read more

As the governor's office prepares to commit $260 million for the planned New Haven-to-Springfield rail project, two key state lawmakers say they want to know how that will affect other efforts to maintain and upgrade an aging, congested transportation network.

Both say they support the rail project, for which the state is seeking $220 million in federal money. But, they said, the $260 million the state would put up will likely come at the expense of other projects. Read more

The panel created by Gov. M. Jodi Rell to propose solutions to the huge funding gaps facing state retirement benefit programs fractured Thursday over the question of whether to recommend reductions to the current benefit system.

Veteran state union leader Salvatore Luciano and Christine Shaw, director of government relations for state Treasurer Denise L. Nappier, both argued such suggestions were premature and questioned whether the Post Employment Benefits Commission's final report would be taken seriously by Connecticut's next governor and legislature. Read more

The state got some welcome economic news Tuesday--an estimate that the surplus for the fiscal year that ended June 30 has jumped to $393.3 million, up nearly $150 million over the past month--but hardly enough to offset the massive deficit bearing down on the state 12 months from now. Read more

Republican gubernatorial contender Michael Fedele could be cleared by mid-day Wednesday to pick up an additional $312,500 in public funds for his campaign--provided he wins his argument today before the state Supreme Court. Read more

One of the state's largest labor coalitions, the Connecticut State Council of the Service Employees International Union, has endorsed Democratic gubernatorial contender Dan Malloy and his running mate, Nancy Wyman.

The council, whose delegates represent the SEIU's six affiliated unions involving about 55,000 public- and private-sector workers in Connecticut, voted Friday to back Malloy and Wyman as they head into their own respective primaries on Aug. 10. Read more

Connecticut stands to see its Medicaid patient caseload surge starting in 2014 as national health care legislation opens the door to as many as 150,000 new patients over a six-year period, according to a new study.

And while there would be new federal funding to cover much of the added cost, there's no guarantee that patients will be able to find doctors unless state government moves now to reverse a dangerous shortage in primary care providers, health care advocates and one key state lawmaker said Thursday Read more

Ending the "fee for service" model that encourages doctors to schedule unnecessary tests and patient visits would be a crucial first step toward reducing a state health care bill that's among the highest in the nation, according to Democratic gubernatorial contender Ned Lamont.

The Greenwich businessman unveiled a health care plan this week that also would: expand efforts to allow physicians to determine state-covered patients' needs; improve health information technology systems; and offer financial incentives to state employees who stay in good shape. Read more

As Connecticut struggles to control the cost of retirement benefits, one item under consideration may be a health insurance program generous by state government standards and rare in the private sector: discounted lifetime coverage of retirees and the spouses of retirees who log 10 years of service at any time in their careers.

A panel created by Gov. M. Jodi Rell to study the fiscal health of Connecticut's retirement benefit programs is expected to debate recommending an end this practice, along with new health care costs for future retirees, before it completes its first draft on Aug. 1. Read more