HARTFORD, CT – A planned strike involving Connecticut’s long-term care workforce has been deferred by eight days after Governor Ned Lamont requested additional time to resolve compensation deficiencies through the biennial state budget process.
SEIU District 1199 New England, the collective bargaining agent for thousands of long-term care personnel, agreed to delay its planned strike by eight days following a private solicitation from Governor Ned Lamont.
The walkout targeting 51 state-funded nursing homes and congregate care sites was postponed from May 19 to May 27 due to unresolved fiscal negotiations at the Capitol.
SEIU District 1199 New England confirmed the postponement after the governor held a closed-door meeting with union leadership earlier in the week and subsequently issued a formal written request on May 8.
During both exchanges, Lamont acknowledged that current wage levels across the sector fall short of the demands and responsibilities associated with the work.
He encouraged the union to delay work stoppage plans to allow the legislature to complete its Fiscal Year 2026 budget deliberations.
In that correspondence, Lamont acknowledged to SEIU 1199NE President Rob Baril that he “agree(s) that their current wages do not match the value of the service they provide.”
He also indicated that legislative leadership had aligned with this assessment, stating, “I believe there is a consensus among legislative leaders who also feel the same and that we are working to negotiate a state budget that includes support for this workforce.”
To date, the administration has not disclosed what funding thresholds are under discussion, nor has it identified a targeted appropriation figure to address the wage floor dispute.
The union, for its part, has not withdrawn its labor notice and retains legal standing to activate a strike should appropriations fall short.
Strike deferred, pressure redirected to appropriators
The workforce involved spans certified nursing assistants, residential habilitation staff, and home health personnel assigned to nursing homes and state-contracted congregate living programs. The said institutions care for geriatric populations, individuals with disabilities, and persons requiring behavioral and cognitive stabilization services.
In his May 8 letter, Lamont described Connecticut’s care labor infrastructure as being under “dual stress,” facing both retention collapse and recruitment stagnation.
“Not only do we need to retain these workers who currently hold these jobs,” he wrote, “but we need to do more to recruit more people who are willing to work in our nursing homes.”
The letter further clarified that no binding commitments could be executed until the state’s fiscal apparatus reached consensus.
“It is unlikely that the budget process will be resolved for at least a couple of more weeks,” Lamont wrote, “and until that time it is impossible to provide the assurances necessary to allow providers to make commitments to employees, collectively bargained or otherwise.”
He instructed union leadership to communicate the constraint to its rank-and-file.
“I respectfully ask that you communicate to your members that those of us at the State Capitol hear their voices and share their concerns, and ask them to strongly consider postponing any strike action to enable time for this budget process to reach a resolution that can provide a positive result.”
SEIU 1199NE later confirmed it would grant the postponement.
No statement accompanied the union’s response, but officials have indicated the deferral is procedural and does not constitute abandonment of its demands.
Union resets the timeline, not the dispute
Lamont publicly welcomed the delay and characterized it as a procedural window.
The governor stated that the additional time could allow state appropriators to resolve line-item decisions that may include wage support for the care workforce.
Referring to the union’s decision as a “positive result,” Lamont framed the delay as a temporary abeyance, not an end to hostilities.
He reiterated the nature of the labor involved.
“Connecticut’s nursing home and group home workers do strenuous work on behalf of our most vulnerable residents,” he said, “and my administration is committed to reaching a positive resolution on their behalf as soon as possible.”
No draft amendment, fiscal note, or appropriation rider has yet been introduced to codify any compensation adjustment for SEIU 1199NE-represented workers.
As of May 10, the General Assembly had not finalized the state’s FY2026 spending plan.
