Read the transcript of the chat on unions and state finances

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has made labor savings part of his plan to put Connecticut on a sounder fiscal footing. But is it fair to ask unionized employees to give up previously guaranteed benefits, and what should be expected of unions as officials address the state's finances?

These were among the questions addressed during The Day's live web chat with panelists Salvatore Luciano, a former state social worker and AFSCME Council 4 executive director, and Peter Gioia, vice president and economist with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.

A full transcript of the chat is available bellow.

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Peter Gioia bio

Peter Gioia serves as vice president and economist with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. Gioia manages the association's research department and has published papers on transportation, state spending and Connecticut's economy. He's also responsible for tracking the state's economy for the association's quarterly economic survey.

Salvatore Luciano bio

Salvatore Luciano is a former social worker with the Connecticut Department of Children and Youth Services and the current Executive Director of Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME. Luciano first became a steward with AFSCME Local 2663 in 1980 and was elected president of the local in 1989. In 1999, he was elected president of Council 4.