Just as grounds crews were prepping for the season opener of Meriden’s Little League season, the workers found the last thing they could expect to see on a baseball field: a body bathed in a pool of blood. 20-year-old Antonio Perry was found next to the field press box, and naturally all Little-League games were postponed by one week.
Perry died, according to police, in a drug-related act, and is the first homicide case of the year in Meriden. Although police have not made any arrests as of yet, they did say the act was not a random act, suggesting some may come.
CONNECTICUT
Sikorsky Strike Ends With Union Vote
Six weeks after turning down a deal with amended benefits and increased health costs, and two weeks ago, workers at the Stratford plant at Sikorsky accepted the same deal, significantly decreasing their healthcare benefits, while increasing salaries. The union approved an end to the strike by a marginal 1,488-1,416 vote, with many workers tired of striking, and ready to go back to work.
The plan included 3.5 percent annual raises, and a $3,000 ratification bonus, but workers now must bear healthcare costs up to four times what they are now. The company said this could be avoided through lower wages, yet the deal still stands.
According to leaders of the union, the strike ended not because of the lack of pay, but the simple fatigue of being on the picket line. Negotiations were tense throughout the strike, with numerous swings in the battle, and with neither side giving. In the end, however, it was the workers who gave, not the owners, hard-hit by the strike.
Yet even though negotiations ended two weeks ago, the sides are still tense, blaming the other for the failure, with accusations of union-breaking, and greed flying from many workers, and of greed from owners.
If anything, the first strike in 45 years shows that tensions between UTC and its workers will continue to persist, for years to come.
