The hallmark of most states is the license plates tacked onto the back of their cars: Washington’s iconic Mount Rainier; the blue and yellow of the Alaskan plate with the big dipper flag; and New York’s Niagara Falls and the silhouette of the Statue of Liberty. Now, Connecticut has joined this trend — residents can celebrate the state’s culinary claim to fame by registering for the new Pizza State Connecticut License Plate.

“The license is giving homage and support to the families [in the pizza business]. That is the American dream,” Colin Caplan, New Haven historian and business owner, told the News.

Caplan started looking into commissioning a license plate last September. He began talking with the Department of Motor Vehicles in Connecticut to begin the process for getting a special interest license plate with pizza on it, which can be done either through passed legislation or through a nonprofit.

Caplan worked with the Connecticut Food Share, which is the largest food bank in the state of Connecticut.

To get production and distribution going, the license plate had to receive a minimum of 400 applications. The online form received 600 entries. The plate then launched on March 14, or Pi day.

“We had to stop because we got so many applications, and that had never been done before,” Caplan said. “We had to pause it to make sure we could complete every one of these applications, and that is where we are at now.”

The DMV sets the license plate prices. Caplan and his team added a processing fee associated with credit card processing, printing and digital signing fees.

According to the state comptroller’s Special Examination on Pizza, Connecticut has a total of 1,376 pizza restaurants, with the city of New Haven boasting the most, at 63 pizza shops.

The State of Connecticut ranks first in the number of pizza restaurants per capita, with 3.65 pizza establishments per 10,000 people. This proportion puts Connecticut at the highest density of pizza restaurants in the country.

According to Kadir Catabasoglu, the owner of Brick Oven Pizza, the introduction of pizza plate will be good for his business: “You see the pizza plate, and you want pizza.”

“You know, Georgia is the peach state, Connecticut is the Pizza state. I’m sure it will be fun,” George Koutroumanis, the owner of Yorkside Pizza, told the News. “You know, anybody sees it anywhere, so it sticks in your mind.”

This pizza culture has driven the Connecticut economy, with an estimated $600 million in annual sales, making up nearly 20 percent of the state’s economic activity. 

New Haven draws over 2 million visitors annually each year for pizza, contributing an additional $100 million to the local economy. 

“We are trying to create a positive rally call around something that is wholesome. These are family businesses, these are major employers, major parts of our economy and points of pride,” Caplan said. “These businesses are feeding us, it is building up together. That is how I see it.”

Caplan hopes to take the next set of plate orders in about three weeks. He plans to limit the number of plates to around 3500, with 600 already being sent out, meaning 2900 plates should be available for purchase in the next application cycle.

Connecticut Foodshare was founded in 1982.

The post Connecticut launches new pizza-themed license plate appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Poor performance at New Haven’s Tweed Airport was key in pushing the airline to carry out deportation flights, according to an internal email from Levy to all crewmembers obtained by the News. Levy wrote that in the first quarter of 2025, the company will report its worst quarterly results since 2023, pushing the company to turn to more steady streams of revenue. 

“The primary reason Avelo’s performance did not meet expectations in Q12025 centers around New Haven (HVN), which until now has been a source of strength in our portfolio,” Levy wrote in the email. “After extensive deliberations with our board of directors and our senior leaders, we concluded this new opportunity [deportation flights] was too valuable not to pursue, as it will help us stabilize our finances and allow us to continue our journey.”

Avelo confirmed the veracity of the email to the News.

The airline will open a base at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona and designate three Boeing 737 airplanes to facilitate the flights, which will begin on May 12. The company has listed job postings for attendants for deportation flights. 

The announcement that Avelo would aid in deportations triggered condemnation from New Haven locals and officials, including a boycott petition that has amassed over 2,800 signatures as of Monday night.

Tweed performance suffers

New Haven is a hub for Avelo — making up over 50 percent of the airline’s business, according to the email. The airline markets itself as “Connecticut’s Hometown Airline.” Beginning service in May 2021, Avelo has since expanded service from the airport, with over 480,000 passengers traveling through Tweed New Haven Airport in 2024.

But in the first quarter of 2025, competition in the New Haven area market increased by more than twenty times the national average, according to the internal email.

In the email, Levy blames the airport’s weak performance in New Haven on three factors: increased competition from Breeze Airways and other airlines in nearby airports in Hartford and White Plains, N.Y., falling consumer confidence in air travel and overscheduling by Tweed Airport. Levy claims that the Tweed Airport management firm, Avports, had been ignoring scheduling rules that had been in place since Avelo started service at Tweed.

“These claims are both bizarre and untrue,” said a spokesperson for Avports. “The success and popularity of Tweed New Haven Airport over the past year are well-documented, driven entirely by the dynamic and thriving Connecticut market.”

The Avports spokesperson noted that Avelo Airways announced new routes and service increases in response to Breeze Airways starting service to the airport in December 2024. These flights have stressed airport facilities with increased passenger traffic and forced quicker turnaround times, he added.

The increased passenger traffic has additionally led to greater traffic congestion surrounding the airport. In response to complaints from local residents, the time between flights was increased to 25-30 minutes from the previous 15 minutes.

To ease Avelo’s financial woes, Levy suggested a “long-term” solution.

“I realize some may view the decision to fly for DHS as controversial,” Levy wrote. “Regardless of your personal views on current political events, I know we will all continue to focus on providing the high-quality service Avelo has become known for.”

“Having a portion of our company dedicated to charter flying, without exposure to fluctuating fuel prices or risk from macroeconomic factors, provides us with the stability to grow our core business, which is scheduled passenger travel,” he added.

Avelo will shut down its base in Santa Rosa, Calif., to free up one plane for the deportation flights, but will continue to fly routes from Las Vegas, Redmond, Ore., Burbank, Calif. and Palm Springs seasonally.

Backlash from New Haven and beyond

A group of local advocacy organizations, New Haven Immigrants Coalition, launched a petition on Sunday demanding that Avelo’s CEO suspend its contract with DHS. In the text of the petition, organizers commit “to boycott Avelo as long as they are profiting from ICE flights.”

“It feels like a slap in the face, because we’ve been doing such hard work,” said Tabitha Sookdeo, the executive director of CT Students for a Dream, a Coalition member organization. “The City of New Haven is so welcoming to immigrants to the extent [that] there’s a Welcoming City ordinance. Having Avelo participate in these types of contracts is just deeply unaligned with what it means to be a New Havener.”

Sookdeo said Avelo’s contract was “morally wrong,” especially as the Trump administration escalates a hostile campaign against immigrants across the country.

In a statement to the New Haven Independent, Mayor Justin Elicker condemned the contract as an affront to the city’s values and welcoming posture towards immigrants. 

“While no one objects to deporting individuals who have committed violent crimes, it is well-documented that the Trump Administration is violating basic due process rights when it comes to our immigrant community, and we need corporations to step up and stand up to the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional, illegal and inhumane actions – not to be complicit with them,” Elicker said.

The fallout from the decision is not only limited to New Haven. According to a termination letter the News obtained from Avelo, at least one Avelo employee based in Raleigh-Durham International Airport was fired after he made an online post encouraging Avelo customers to avoid the company in light of its contract with ICE. 

Avelo currently serves four scheduled international destinations.

The post Avelo to carry out deportation flights, citing poor performance at Tweed in internal email appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The expedited trains will depart from New Haven every weekday morning — at 5:06 a.m., 5:32 a.m. and 7:52 a.m. — and return from Grand Central at 4:16 p.m., 4:49 p.m. and 6:26 p.m.

Commuters taking some rush-hour trains may notice slight adjustments to their departure and arrival times, which the rail line claims will “improve transfer times.” The new times can be found on the online schedule or on the TrainTime app.

The shorter runtimes are due to signaling infrastructure improvements. The Metro-North team also used train-simulation software, GPS and signal data to create more efficient timetables.

“Super Express travelers save as much as 25 minutes each way, 250 minutes each week, and more than nine full days annually to spend with their friends and family,” the new Metro-North President Justin Vonashek said in a press release.

Aaron Combs ’28 commutes to New York City every Friday to work in-person at a small startup company.

In just the spring semester so far, he has taken a round-trip to NYC nearly a dozen times. This week, he will be making the trip three more times — one for work and two more times for leisure.

“Are you serious? That’s so nice,” Combs said when he heard about the improved run times. 

The updated schedule will be a game-changer for Combs, he said. 

Before, the only 90-minute train down to NYC was at 5:06 a.m. On Friday mornings, he would wake up at 4 a.m. after only having slept a few hours. Once he arrived at Grand Central at 6:38 a.m., he would wait around for a bagel shop to open at 7 a.m. before heading to work at 9 a.m.

But the changes mean that the 5:32 a.m. Super Express train, arriving at 7:02 with a 90-minute run time, is now another viable option for him.

“That is honestly a big deal, because it’s still the weekday,” Combs said. “What it also means is that if I want to get up earlier I can, if I need the flexibility.”

But for some, the schedule changes are either not noticeable or have disrupted their familiar journeys to work. 

Monique Horn, a commuter from Wallingford to Grand Central, told the News that her transfer time at Union Station is now longer because of the changes. 

Tajrian Khan ’27, who day-trips to NYC every other weekend, believes the changes will not affect him or other “leisurely travelers.” He currently finds the rides to and from Grand Central frequent and efficient, but he wouldn’t mind if Metro-North expanded their number of Super Express trains.

Both Combs and Khan expressed support for a Yale partnership with Metro-North to provide discounted rates for students, citing barriers in traveling to and working in NYC for lower-income students.

While Combs’ commute back from Grand Central counts as off-peak and costs $18.25,  his early morning ride is during peak hours and drains $24.50 from his wallet.

“Institutionally, Yale would really benefit to push more accessibility to New York,” Combs said, citing the city’s startup environment as well as arts and culture scenes.

Combs and Khan said that they partly chose Yale for its proximity to NYC. Combs hopes that these new changes will encourage more Yalies to travel to the city and even consider working there during the school year. 

The Metro-North railroad began operations in 1983.

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The Board of Alders last Monday passed a pair of measures designed to curb the industry’s growth and protect the health of residents under age 21, officials said. Mayor Justin Elicker signed the legislation on Thursday.

One of the two laws, a zoning change, restricts stores that sell tobacco or vape products from opening within 1,000 feet of schools, houses of worship or parks, or within 3,000 feet of another smoke shop. The result, according to a map made by city officials, is to bar the creation of any new smoke shops except for a barren segment of Water Street near Long Wharf — at least until existing establishments close.

“We have 212 tobacco and nicotine retailers in a city of 139,000,” Elicker said to reporters and television cameras invited for the unusually promoted signing ceremony. “We don’t need any more of these shops.”

Smoke shops that already operate will be required to remove flashy signage and make their products and paraphernalia less conspicuous to passersby.

The second measure in the new regulatory regime requires tobacco and vape sellers, beginning in October, to obtain municipal licenses that will cost $150 each year. Failure to comply may lead to fines of as much as $1,000 per day, for repeated violations.

Joel Coronado, at the counter of Chapel Smoke Shop on Monday afternoon, said he understood the rationale behind the new laws and is happy they do not shut down existing retailers. 

“They’re trying to take it away from the parks, the schools, but at least they’re not messing with the establishments that are already here,” he told the News. “Everybody that’s grandfathered in, they grandfathered in. That’s cool.”

Coronado said that he blames a “backlash” toward smoke shops on the poor behavior of other stores.

Although Coronado had heard of the new laws, he was not aware of the regulations on signage. Chapel Street Smoke’s storefront windows are bordered by flashing LED strips, apparently contrary to the prohibition on “lights that flash, shimmer, glitter.” Coronado said he planned to visit City Hall for clarification.

While several smoke shops still have storefront displays that would be illegal under the new regulations, Mist Tobacco & Convenience, located at 342 Orange St., has already begun to adapt its storefront based on the newly passed ordinance — turning off their LED signs and retracting advertisements for nicotine products.

City Health Director Maritza Bond was alongside Elicker at the signing ceremony. She announced that the New Haven Health Department will make an effort to educate smoke shop owners about the ordinance before it goes into effect. The health department will proceed with compliance checks after Oct. 1 to ensure smoke shops adhere to the new regulations.

“This is about protecting public health and the safety and welfare of our youth,” Bond said, according to the New Haven Independent.

Both laws emerged from a working group of alders and city officials, spearheaded by Alders Richard Furlow of Westville’s Ward 27, Eli Sabin of Ward 7 in East Rock and downtown and Frank Redente of Ward 15 in Fair Haven.

The zoning and licensing components came before the Legislation Committee in January and February, respectively. They were delayed repeatedly for final passage by the board while staff adjusted the legislative text.

“This zoning regulation is long overdue, but we took our time and we worked months to get it right, and I believe we have,” Furlow, the board’s majority leader, told his colleagues before the vote on the zoning ordinance amendment.

The crackdown may have little noticeable effect right away and, by design, will make smoke shops less noticeable in the Elm City. But it allowed local leaders to unite behind a legislative achievement that the city can execute on its own, at a time of struggles over funding from the state and federal governments.

Alder Adam Marchand said the licensing mandate “has at its center the goal of protecting the public health, and to shield our youth and most impressionable residents from the powerful allure of these addictive and harmful products.”

The ordinance comes over a year after Connecticut Attorney General William Tong brought a lawsuit against Anesthesia, a smoke shop on Chapel Street, for the unlawful sale of cannabis.

The post Per new law, nearly no more smoke shops fit in New Haven appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Philly’s was located on Chapel Street, which houses fifteen of the over 65 Shops at Yale. On the restaurant’s website, it brands itself as “New England’s only option for REAL Philly Cheesesteaks,” with other locations in Norwich, Conn. and Bennington, Vt. 

The restaurant has been closed during business hours — lights off and under padlock — since at least Feb. 9.

Philly’s agreed to a seven-year lease with Yale University Properties on March 26, 2021, according to Yale’s Jan. 13, 2025 complaint document filed in the Connecticut Superior Court. The parties agreed to a monthly rent of $3,960 to $4,917. Four months after they signed their contract, Philly’s stopped paying rent, the University claims. 

This amounts to about $180,000 of unpaid rent as of December 2024. A Philly’s representative could not be reached for comment.

On Dec. 2, 2024, Yale served Philly’s a notice to quit possession, requiring them to move out by Dec. 9. The notice was served to Philly’s representatives on Dec. 2 and again on Jan. 13, per New Haven state marshalls’ reports.

In the January complaint, Yale stated that Philly’s has not moved out of the premises and asked the court for immediate possession. They also checked a statement requesting the acquisition of Philly’s “possessions and personal effects” since the property is nonresidential.

In a motion signed on Feb. 6, Yale asked again for possession of Philly’s premises as they had failed to file a court appearance.

A couple of days later, it appeared that the storefront was vacated. Yelp users have reported that the location is closed, though a user posted a 5-star review of the restaurant on Feb. 25.

Yale’s motion was denied by Housing Court Judge Alayna M. Stone ’04 on Feb. 27 since the “service of the writ,” referring to the notice to quit, was “not left with the defendant’s agent for service.”

The University will now need to procure a new summons and complaint.

Yale is represented by Anthony J. Boccamazzo of Brown Rudnick LLP. On the case files, Philly’s is designated as “Non-Appearing,” meaning that they have not filed an appearance with the court, nor do they have an attorney on their behalf.

When asked to confirm if Philly’s has not been paying rent since July 2021 and why Yale waited several years to sue, the University declined to comment on the “specifics of its business relationships.”

Philly’s, which officially opened in June 2022, was located on 1008 Chapel St.

The post Yale sues Philly’s after alleged rent evasion appeared first on Yale Daily News.

On Sunday, a dozen Unidad Latina en Acción leaders and affiliates rallied outside the Whitney Avenue storefront, distributing leaflets, chanting through bullhorns and encouraging passersby to boycott the Ethiopian restaurant. According to the leaflets, Erico Morales worked for “more than 120 hours” at Habesha, but was paid only $300 — less than $3 an hour. Solomon Fiseha, one of the restaurant’s owners, denies the allegation, and told the News that Morales only worked at Habesha for three days, though ULA leader John Lugo claims Morales worked there for two weeks, from Nov. 19 through Dec.1, 2024.

“You cannot make the profits on the backs of the workers,” Lugo yelled into a bullhorn on Sunday afternoon, stationed outside Habesha. “You admitted that you will not be paying just because the guy doesn’t have documents — that’s a crime. The bad news is, you live in a sanctuary city and in Connecticut, you’re supposed to pay a minimum wage regardless of the status you have in this country.”

Connecticut’s minimum wage, which was raised to $16.35 an hour on Jan. 1, applies to undocumented workers.

Fiseha said he gave Morales the $300 upfront when Morales asked for money to fix his phone, and that he intended to offer Morales a salary of $440 a week. Fiseha did not specify an hourly wage. However, according to Fiseha, who said he did not know Morales’ name, Morales did not return to work after the third day. The next time the two men encountered each other was when Lugo arrived at Habesha in early January to commence ULA’s boycott, Fiseha said.

On Jan. 9, Lugo and other ULA members went to Habesha to confront Fiseha about the alleged wage theft. ULA filmed Fiseha’s conversation with Lugo and posted the video on YouTube. In the video, Lugo chided Fiseha for not paying Morales the minimum wage.

“He doesn’t have papers,” Fiseha said in response.

Fiseha told the News that he hired Morales believing that Morales had work authorization documents, and that Morales repeatedly told him he would show Fiseha his papers “tomorrow.” Fiseha said he told Morales he could pay him $440 a week “if he had papers.”

In the video clip, Fiseha does not admit to underpaying Morales, nor does he provide any additional information about Morales’ employment at Habesha. Fiseha told the News on Sunday that he was recorded with a “hidden camera,” which he felt violated his privacy. Fiseha called the police, but they arrived after the ULA members had left.

Fiseha again called the police on Sunday, as ULA members rallied outside the restaurant with large banners declaring “Stop wage theft” and “Caution: workplace declared unsafe for employees.” Two cop cars arrived 20 minutes later, but officers did not approach the protestors and remained in their cars.

Fiseha told the News that he does not intend to pay Morales the nearly  $2,050 that ULA has requested on behalf of Morales. He claimed that Morales in fact owes him for having taken the $300 without continuing to work for him. Fiseha also said that Habesha, which opened in October, has not been affected by ULA’s boycott.

“It doesn’t affect me, the employees know me,” he said. “Customers are still coming.”

Habesha was the second restaurant visited by ULA this weekend. On Friday, Lugo and a small contingent of ULA members hand-delivered a letter to Tomatillo, a Mexican restaurant on Elm Street, asking the restaurant to pay Antonio Portillo, a former worker, $555.09 in wages that he had not yet received. The ULA members brought with them a printed screenshot of a text conversation between Portillo and Tomatillo’s manager. According to the screenshot, when Portillo asked for his check, the manager responded that he would send the check “to the labor/immigration department.”

The letter, signed by Lugo, threatened that Portillo would file a complaint with the state labor department “and pursue other legal remedies and public campaigns that may be available to him” if he were not paid.

Lugo and Moe Gad, Tomatillo’s owner, each confirmed to the News that Portillo picked up his check on Friday evening, settling the dispute. Gad said that the check had been signed two weeks prior, and that the restaurant did not intend to withhold it, but that Portillo had had “some issue with the manager.” 

Gad also said that the messages about immigration enforcement that ULA characterized as threatening were just “bluffing.” 

“Nobody was threatening anybody with anything,” Gad said. 

Both Tomatillo and Habesha lease from Yale University Properties.

The post Unidad Latina en Acción protests alleged wage theft targeting undocumented worker appeared first on Yale Daily News.

These efforts aim to strengthen the local economy while empowering entrepreneurs of color through funding, mentorship and retail spaces. The News spoke to five Black business owners at the Shops at Yale to get their perspectives on New Haven and Yale’s relationship with Black-owned businesses.

“They understand what we’re trying to build here, and they’re not trying to keep us in a box,” said Krystina Jackson, the owner of Soulful Threads, a vintage clothing store on Chapel Street.

Cathy Graves, deputy director of economic development for the city of New Haven, said that New Haven’s many resources for small businesses — including the DNA of an Entrepreneur clinic, an eight-week program that helps people start their small businesses by establishing lines of credit — help with networking, technical assistance and outlining business plans.

Graves mentioned that the city was “excited” about increasing levels of Black-owned businesses. She estimated that around 60 percent of people who participated in their programs were minorities or women.

New Haven also partners with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to provide New Haven Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem grants for small businesses, particularly minority and women-owned. Over $2 million in small business grants have been awarded since 2022. 

“Small businesses are the economic fabric of New Haven,” said.

Alisha Crutchfield-McLean owns Bloom, a multi-concept retail store on Edgewood Avenue. She spoke with the News about taking advantage of the many resources available to small business owners, including ConnCorp and New Haven’s programs for entrepreneurs, as well as an NHE3 grant.

She also mentioned the more personal mentoring she has received from Graves since moving to New Haven from New York City in 2021. Her first meeting with Graves lasted two hours and was full of helpful information and advice.

“She didn’t have to do that, but she spent time with me anyway,” Crutchfield-McLean said about Graves, who remains a mentor for her to this day. “I didn’t even need an appointment.”

Ricky Evans, owner of Ricky D’s Ribshack on Winchester Avenue, told the News that as long as business owners are willing to put in the work, New Haven and Yale can point them in the right direction for success.

Evans said that after starting his business, he participated in a program hosted by New Haven’s Small Business Resource Center. Through the program, small business owners can listen to other entrepreneurs and city officials and connect with fellow small-business owners.

Evans said that Yale was a major help in advertising his business through radio ads and social media posts. 

“The city of New Haven and Yale provide a lot of opportunity,” Evans said.

Alexis Evans owns Juicescape, a juice shop located on Chapel Street that is just under three years old. 

Evans mentioned that while she knew of some of the resources available, it can sometimes be hard to take advantage of everything when day-to-day life as a small business owner is already so busy.

“I haven’t had that opportunity to see exactly what they offer because when you’re a business owner, trying to keep your business up and running, I really don’t have enough time to go out and check to see what the city is offering,” she said. 

Evans mentioned that she participated in Yale’s series of interviews with black business owners on WYBC local radio for Black History Month.

Lucy Ballester, co-founder of Soap-edi, opened their store’s second location on Chapel Street in 2022. She shared Ricky Evans’s sentiment, and praised Yale for their help with marketing efforts, saying it’s been a big help for their business.

“I’m hoping we’re here for a long time,” Ballester said.

Yale University Properties was established in 1966.

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On Monday morning, six representatives from the group participated in a press conference and finalized a document codifying themselves as the newest chapter of the Connecticut Tenants Union at 120 Goffe St. They were joined by leaders of the state-wide Connecticut Tenants Union and representatives from the New Haven Fair Rent Commission Office. 

Through the motion, fourteen of the 17 Saint Luke’s tenants aim to mend the stifled dialogue between themselves and the property’s managers: Demarco Management Corporation and St. Luke’s Development Corp. The tenants are hoping to finally bring management to the negotiating table and address overlooked and persisting safety problems in the property. 

“We’re here because we want unity,” Linda Talley, a Saint Luke’s tenant, said. “We want the board to come sit down with us so that we can be in an agreement to get things that we want done in our building, for our safety, for our security — we’re tired of broken promises.” 

Her words were framed by the affirmative nods of fellow tenants and leadership holding signs that read “Respect Seniors” and “Help Us Stay Safe.” Others in the Senior Housing community echoed the requests for dignity especially as it pertained to elders. 

Another tenant, Robert James, explained that the management’s negligence had persisted for years and needed to be stopped. Even the monthly meetings held by administration to take suggestions often proved unsuccessful and futile, he said. 

“I’m not worried about anything with the union,” James said, “as a matter of fact, I’m all for it … I’m just here as big support for myself and everyone else that lives in St Luke’s apartment, senior citizen apartment.”

James explained that for a while the building has lacked necessary safety features like proper lighting, security cameras and doors that properly open and close. Additionally, he said he has often found visitors unknown to either himself or others perusing the property’s public spaces. In these instances, he did not know whether the person would be dangerous to himself or the community. 

Another tenant, Linda Talley, emphasized the building’s dilapidated condition and the lack of reliable renovation services. In one instance, she requested that her battered and cracked bathroom floor be fixed. When she came back, she found them tearing up the living room’s wood — something she’d never asked to have done. 

“This union came together quickly because there was already a lot of community in the building,” the vice president of CT Tenants Union, Luke Melonakos-Harrison, said. “What we’re looking for is a response from the board of St Luke’s Development Corporation and from DeMarco management that they will agree to sit down with the elected representatives of this union to negotiate.” 

Melonakos-Harrison and CT Tenants Union President Hannah Srajer also noted that unionizing could benefit both sides. By centralizing and clarifying the voice of many into the voice of one, negotiations can be a lot more focused and expedited, they said. 

The Saint Luke’s property pushes the number of CT Tenants Union chapters to 18. Their mission has also benefited from government legislation passed last December which increases the number of apartments eligible for tenant unions by reducing the number of required building units from ten to five. 

At the end of the event, the New Haven Fair Rent Commission discussed the rights afforded to the new Saint Luke’s chapter, reiterating the city’s support for tenant unionization and landlord accountability. 

The emergence of the new chapter was only made possible after Alder Frank E. Douglass, Jr. connected residents of the Saint Luke’s housing with CT Tenants Union, entreating them to join the movement.

“I’ve been a union person all my life,” Douglass Jr. said. “I worked for the Union for the railroad … and I was community vice president for 19 years. So unions work. You want to get things done? Unionize.”

Taking a seat as Ward Two’s alder, he became acutely aware of the complaints made by the Saint Luke’s Housing Community concerning electricity and the elevator. As he got more involved, he began to notice the same problems continuously popping up. When the Connecticut Tenants Union reached out to ask if he knew of any buildings that might benefit from unionizing, he immediately made the connection. 

The battle doesn’t end there for him. In his ward alone he hopes properties like the St. Martin’s Townhouses on Goffe Street and the Seabury Housing Co-Op on Elm Street, which have had similar managerial issues, might join the state-wide union in the near future. 

After the press conference, a few tenants began brainstorming the first amendments they would like to see followed through on by the manager. Near the end, there was some anxiety about the risk of administrative or fellow tenant retaliation. However, the group resoundingly concluded that as long as they held strong in numbers, they could overpower any threat. In addition, the state-wide CT Tenants Union and the Fair Rent Commission Office reiterated their backing of the new union through any tumult that might come their way. 

In the upcoming days, the new union will have its first meeting and elect a leader to serve on the statewide body of the CT Tenants Unions. 

New Haven’s first tenants union was established in November 2022.

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On Tuesday night, leaders of New Haven Rising and UNITE HERE unions reflected on a year of successes and setbacks. They called on New Haven and Yale to support citizens during a period of uncertainty and economic hardships. Hundreds of attendees filled the pews of Trinity Temple on Dixwell Avenue, with lines of people spilling out the doors.

The Solidarity Summit was led by New Haven Rising, a community organization that advocates for racial, economic and social justice, and UNITE HERE unions, including Yale’s Locals 33, 34 and 35 and Local 217, as well as Students Unite Now.

Marks, New Haven Rising director, opened the event with a rousing call for solidarity and strength in the face of federal political upheavals. The crowd booed as speakers listed President Donald Trump’s recent directives in office — such as an attempt to freeze federal funds and the deletion of important datasets accused of promoting D.E.I. — and criticized his embrace of the “billionaire class.”

“The truth is that we’re heading about as far away as we can from Dr. [Martin Luther] King’s vision,” Marks said. “We are here, headed towards a place of resentment, hopelessness, a place that becomes cruel and violent, a place where the wealthy buy their way to power, a place where we become more divided, a place where we grow tired from just getting by.”

Peppered throughout a dozen speeches, speakers updated attendees on union progress in New Haven and drew attention to issues such as a lack of affordable housing, wealth inequality and fears of immigration crackdowns.

The summit’s mood oscillated between celebration and somberness. 

Omni workers with Local 217 recalled their triumph of settling a contract with the hotel last September after hard-fought negotiations. Adam Waters of Local 33 celebrated how after facing 30 years of “union busting and retaliation from the University,” the union achieved a landmark contract in December 2023 that raised wages and enhanced healthcare provisions for graduate workers. New leaders, Lisa Stevens, Local 34’s president, and Gwen Mills, president of the international UNITE HERE organization, both expressed excitement for their new roles. 

The celebration was extended to city officials as well. Marks and several speakers thanked the UNITE HERE-affiliated alders who walked the picket line with them and appeared at the summit. Mills praised the recent bravery of state representatives, particularly Rep. Rosa DeLauro, amidst federal policy uncertainties. 

“The Connecticut Democratic Party should lead the whole freaking world,” Mills said.

But speakers at the summit were also bracing for a tumultuous year. Jennifer Chona, a Democratic Town Committee co-chair, recalled when her family immigrated to New Haven, whom she believes to be the first Colombian family in the city. Now, she said, immigrant families fear even going outside and bringing their children to school. Last month, dozens of anti-immigration flyers were littered across the East Rock neighborhood.

Mareika Phillips, a key leader for New Haven Rising, shared how, as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, she and her loved ones have been used as “a tool for hate and division.”

“When we are tricked into blaming differences in race, religion, immigration status, romantic orientation or gender for our woes, they have a freer hand to focus on how to overwork us, raise prices and keep us down,” Phillips said. 

Many speakers also called on Yale to increase its financial and developmental contribution to the city. 

Marks emphasized Yale’s “debts” to New Haven, saying that the institution profited from slavery and blocked the first American Black college from finding a home in New Haven. Representatives of Locals 33, 34 and 35 all criticized Yale’s tax-exempt status, the University’s insufficient contributions to local education and the inequitable benefits of their biotech investment. There’s a biotech boom happening in the city, but “it’s a boom for whom?” Marks questioned.

“We know that Yale University is hoarding money, and they want us to think that they are poor,” Tyisha Walker-Myers, chief Local 35 steward and President of the Board of Alders, said to the crowd, “They want us to think that our jobs are not worth the money that they pay us, and we know that’s just not true.”

Phillips stressed that “we have a big year ahead of us.” 

Local 33 President Adam Waters believes that elected officials and employers like Yale must now decide: to stand “on the side of poor and working people, … on the side of justice” or to take the side of “corporations, billionaires and right-wing authoritarians who want to dismantle democracy.”

State Senator Martin Looney and Mayor Justin Elicker were present at the event but did not speak on stage. After the speeches, though, attendees could go downstairs and eat dinner while meeting their elected officials.

In the past, the summit has been called “Unity in Action” and was held specifically in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. This year, after deliberations, it was rebranded as the “Solidarity Summit.” 

“Whatever affects one affects all of us indirectly,” Marks said, recalling an iconic line from King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” 

Ellen Cupo, Ward 8 alder and member of Local 34, spoke of the transformative power of unionizing to the News after the event. After finding out she had a brain tumor last year, she was grateful for not only the healthcare support her union’s negotiations had won in the past but also for the support of her “union family.”

Marks ended the event by asking attendees to help fight to pass SB 8, a state bill that would enhance protections for workers while striking. 

“The elected leaders stood with us on the picket lines. Now is our chance to stand with the elected leaders and create legislation that’s going to help us build more unions,” he said.

“Now look around. Let’s see who’s in the room and who’s ready to organize,” Marks said, “We ain’t going nowhere.”

The oldest union present was Local 35, which has been organizing since 1941. 

Correction, Feb. 6: The article has been updated to remove a quote that was said off the record.

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The arts and bake sale was one of two pro-Palestine fundraising events organized by Caroline Solomon, a graduate student at the Yale School of Environment, and held at New Haven bookstores. The first event happened in November at Possible Futures, a neighborhood bookstore on Edgewood Avenue. 

This time, Solomon worked with members of Yalies for Palestine, Graduate Students for Palestine and the Environmental Justice Student Interest Group and raised around $2,200 for a family in Gaza.

“I know that energy around organizing for the University to disclose and divest from the Israeli army has been waning,” said Solomon. “A lot of people expressed to me that they were really grateful for this because it revived some of the energy that had been lost.”

When Solomon was in high school, she said her family hosted a man named Mohammed from Gaza through the PCRF. Soloman said that Mohammed had lost his leg as a result of an Israeli attack and was staying with Solomon’s family to receive a prosthetic in the U.S. before returning home.  

According to Solomon, Mohammed was killed in his sleep along with multiple family members in an Israeli airstrike in August 2024. Following his death, the PCRF set up a fundraiser with the goal of raising $34,100 for his 2-year-old daughter, Hala, who currently lives with her mother and uncle in Gaza, as well as another 14-year-old family member. 

“I was really shocked and pleasantly surprised at how many people came,” said Solomon. “I thought it was really beautiful and I really appreciated having a space to commune with people.”

The vast majority of baked goods and artwork sold at the event were produced by students. Tables were adorned with handmade products, ranging from prints to earrings to tote bags, alongside a variety of treats. Solomon, herself an artist, sold some of her sewn works at the event, including scrunchies and bookmarks. 

In addition to all the money raised through the sale, Grey Matter Books also donated 10 percent of the proceeds from books sold during the event to the PCRF. While the bulk of this sum will go towards Hala through the PCRF’s Orphan Sponsorship Program, Soloman said the rest will be received by verified contacts in Gaza who will then transfer the funds to Hala’s family. 

A member of Graduate Students for Palestine told the News they mobilized students to attend the event.

They said that much of the artwork sold at the fundraiser was botanical in theme. Other pieces centered Palestine more directly, incorporating slogans like “Generation after generation until total liberation” and the colors of the Palestinian flag onto hand-painted cards. 

Another partner organization of the event, the Environmental Justice Student Interest Group hoped to draw attention to the overlap between ecological destruction and war in Palestine, said Ky Miller ENV ’26, co-president of EJSIG.  

“Environmental injustice in Palestine is one of the largest concerns in the region,” said Miller. “We’ve seen an incredible lack of access to water resources, we’ve seen the intentional destruction of generations-old olive groves and really important crop resources for Palestinian families, and those really are what underlie cultural identity as well.”

Solomon shared that she is currently working with other organizations in New Haven to plan a third event and continue working toward the $34,100 fundraising goal. 

Grey Matter Books stands on 264 York St. 

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