Both articles delivered the message that our members united behind in making the tough decision to delay wage increases negotiated just last summer. Town workers recognized we all needed to be part of a comprehensive solution to the economic crisis because balancing budgets on the backs of hard-working, middle-class families would actually hurt the local economy.

As we reported in a cover story in the April CSEA News, local elected officials in municipalities and school districts across the state have recently approached our members requesting labor concessions. Our members in Woodbury rose to the challenge, and made clear that they would be willing to be part of a comprehensive plan for achieving cost-savings -- as long as it protected vital public services for local residents.

As both articles report, the two-year agreement provides our members in Chapters I74, I78, I81, and I87 the job security needed to fulfill this commitment. Though they made a difficult choice, our members followed the sound advice of Nobel Prize-winning economists, who have warned that allowing public agencies to cut services or layoff workers to close budget gaps only makes the economy worse.

And as local anti-union forces continue to ratchet up their rhetoric, we must stand ready to push-back when they scapegoat public service workers. We must make clear that we did we not cause this economic crisis -- and we must also take credit for offering innovative solutions that empower us to work with municipal leaders to preserve the quality of life in our communities.

That also means organizing our members in Woodbury and communities across Connecticut to support a fair and equitable tax structure that moves municipalities away from relying on local property taxes to fund critical public services.