CT healthcare workers rally against hiring ‘freeze,’ ask state for $87M to address staffing needs

Darien Times – Tuesday, April 22, 2025
By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni

HARTFORD — Jasmine Moore says she has been working with the state Department of Developmental Services for 18 years, loving her work despite the physical, mental and emotional challenges. Although helping patients often “takes everything out of you,” she said sharing the burden with a supportive work environment and shift changes helps.

However, she said, unsafe staffing levels at her agencies and other state-run facilities are making state workers’ jobs more difficult, hurting both staff and the patients they care for.

There are currently more than 2,000 open positions among health care workers across the various state-run agencies, but advocates say that a new state policy slowing down hiring new workers will add more strain to an already exhausted and overworked workforce.

From the Department of Corrections to the Department of Public Health, state workers helping some of Connecticut’s most vulnerable residents gathered on Tuesday morning to highlight concerns with the hiring pause. They also asked for an additional $87 million from the state’s surplus be used to fill all the current vacancies during a time of looming federal funding cuts and reductions.

“We need enough hands and hearts to meet every individual’s need with the dignity and care they deserve, and the only way to do that is to properly fund our agencies,” Moore said to the crowd of 70 gathered in the Capitol’s Hall of Flags.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced a new hiring policy to save money ahead of significant federal changes in early March. First reported by CT Insider, hiring for all state positions was “curtailed” immediately while approvals to fill open positions were revoked. The policy change also paused the promised $40.6 million in funds to state agencies for its various initiatives, like gun violence prevention and juvenile review boards.

When the state accumulates fiscal surpluses, how much can be used is restricted by the state’s spending cap, with changes to the cap and other “fiscal guardrails” being a consistent point of debate nearly every legislative year. According to the memo announcing the changes obtained by CT Insider, the funding cuts and hiring are necessary because Connecticut is set to go over its spending cap.

In response to the rally, Rob Blanchard, the director of communications for the governor’s office, said the state has made significant investments for low-wage home care workers. He mentioned the $10 million in annualized funding in fiscal year 2027 to support a rate increase for the state-funded home care program and the Department of Social Services Medicaid home and community-based services waivers. This funding would also help providers address workforce challenges.

“We continue to fill critical frontline positions, including nurses, social workers, and corrections officers,” he said in an email. “Although the labor market remains tight, we are actively conducting outreach efforts, both in-person and online, based on agencies’ needs to attract the strongest possible talent pool.”

About 600 state positions were rescinded through the recent hiring pause, said Becky Simonsen, vice president of SEIU 1199 New England, the health care employees union leading Tuesday’s rally. She said efforts to hire state workers often run up against the state’s fiscal guardrails. However, she said not having enough staff also means the state compensates by paying overtime, which adds to the state’s costs.

SEIU 1199 New England union members across all the state agencies accrued over $97 million in overtime and mandated overtime costs in fiscal year 2023 and over $105 million the following year, according to the union’s internal reporting.

“We want to see that no matter what kind of cuts are coming from Washington, from the Trump administration, that this state will step up and take care of its people,” Simonsen said.

One of the agencies starting to feel the effects of being on the federal funds chopping block is Connecticut’s Department of Public Health. The state is at risk of losing an estimated $175 million in public health and infectious disease funding from the expired American Rescue Plan Act.

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