Peter Tercyak

State Representative Peter Tercyak, House chairman of the legislature’s Labor Committee, today praised Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s announcement that he is appointing Scott Jackson of Hamden to serve as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor and Kurt Westby of Middletown as deputy commissioner.

“I look forward to working with Scott Jackson on important legislation for the working people of Connecticut,” Tercyak said. “I particularly admired his work as chairman of the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission.”

Jackson last year joined the Malloy administration as the undersecretary for intergovernmental policy at the Office of Policy and Management. He took the job after completing work as the chairman of the governor's Sandy Hook Advisory Commission.

Westby currently serves as a consultant to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), where he manages staff and negotiations in Connecticut, as well as in Florida and New Orleans. Previously, he has served as vice president and a district leader with SEIU Local 32BJ, and also served for 18 years as vice president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO.

“Kurt and I have worked with each other for decades, working on workers’ and clean government issues. It will be a treat to work with him as deputy commissioner,” Tercyak said.

“We have a couple of tough years to come for the workers in our economy and this will be a good team to work with. Thank you, governor, for these thoughtful appointments,” Tercyak said.