The AFL-CIO Doesn’t Need to Lobby — It Has Its Own Caucus Now

The AFL-CIO Doesn’t Need to Lobby — It Has Its Own Caucus Now

It was billed as a press conference announcing a new legislative caucus — but the real headliners weren’t the lawmakers. When more than 30 Democratic legislators gathered on April 30 to unveil their “Blue Collar Caucus,” they quickly stepped aside and handed the microphone — and the spotlight — to Connecticut AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne and Building Trades President Joe Toner.  The union bosses weren’t just there to show support — they were t…