VSEA members in the State’s Attorneys’ Offices Unit will soon be voting on ratification of a new, two-year contract with the State of Vermont Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs. The SAO Unit bargaining team recently held three online informational meetings to review the negotiated settlement with the membership and answer any questions. The dates for voting on the new contract have been finalized with members receiving ballots by email on April 25th and all completed ballots must be received by May 9th. The notice to members will include information about the settlement, a complete list of the contract changes in the tentative agreement, and instructions for casting their ballot online through Simply Voting. Any member may request a paper ballot; however, members should keep in mind that all completed ballots must be received by May 9th.
Fox44 aired a story on the hearing and here’s an excerpt:
“I’ve had that experience of going through the union and what it can offer,” said Kim Hokanson of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “For all the women in the room it levels the playing field which is awesome right, so the training is there, the education is there, safety and all these things that everyone else has said, but it also levels the playing field, that my pay is the same as the person sitting next.”
Many described how a union allowed them to grow professionally and personally, allowing them opportunities that they might not have had otherwise.
“As a lifelong Vermonter and 20-year union member, I cannot stress enough the benefits of union membership,” explained Alex Potvin, member of the Local 693, New England States Pipe Trades Association. “They have not only paved the way for me to raise a family and have a fulfilling career in the mechanical field, but also allowed me to remain a resident of this great state.”
Note: VSEA is part of a broad labor coalition fighting for this proposal to be on the ballot for all Vermonters to vote on in 2026.
Caseloads are so high that state prosecutors often have to “triage” where to devote their time. Sometimes that means the resolution of some more minor cases is delayed so a more major case can, for instance, go to trial.
“We’re just treading water at this point,” Campbell said. “And it’s not good, it’s not healthy, for anybody in the criminal justice system.”
VSEA President Aimee Towne is pictured here delivering remarks at a press conference this morning, where she voiced VSEA’s strong support of S. 102, or the PRO Act; legislation that would make it easier to organize Vermont workers.
