The Governor has signaled in a letter from his Secretary of Administration to the Legislature that he isn’t “comfortable” supporting the State budget if he doesn’t get what he wants.
Call Governor Scott at (802) 828-3333, or e-mail him using this link! Tell him you want him to support both the pension bill and the State budget. A deal is a deal.
- Governor Scott signed the bill that created the Pension Taskforce— which included an appointed representative of his Administration who supported the compromise.
- The unanimous vote in support of the compromise was bipartisan. Members of the Governor’s political party served on the Taskforce and supported the compromise.
- Governor Scott failed to propose these changes during five months of Taskforce’s meetings.
- Now, at the very last minute, Governor Scott is threatening the entire deal by demanding that the agreement be reopened, so he can make major changes to the hard-earned, unanimously backed compromise.
Governor Scott is demanding a poison pill be added that will threaten the health and stability of your pension.* Instead of protecting your retirement, his demand will only serve wealthy fat cats on Wall Street.
Tell Governor Scott that this is not the Vermont Way. Here in Vermont, your word is your bond, and as Candidate Phil Scott famously said,
“A Deal Is a Deal.”
*Note: If you work for the Vermont State Colleges or the Vermont Housing Authority your pension isn’t directly at risk due to this last-minute stunt, but your fellow VSEA members need your help. Call the Governor today!
Here’s the text from the Administration’s letter:
State Employee Pension Reform
As the Governor has shared with both the Speaker and Pro Tem, and Commissioner Greshin shared with you, we can support the reforms in S.286, An act relating to amending various public pension and other postemployment benefits, with the addition of language that would allow for all new employees – regardless of classified or exempt status – to have a choice between a defined contribution or defined benefit plan and/or the inclusion of risk sharing provisions. Over the past two years, the Governor has consistently called for responsible structural changes to accompany any additional investment into the pension system. These changes are necessary to prevent waste of taxpayer dollars resulting from an unsustainable structural model. To be comfortable allocating the funding in the budget, the policy in S.286 must reflect a sustainable path forward.
Learn more about the fight to save Vermont State Employees’ pensions on VSEA.org
See Also:
- When Given The Choice, Employees Overwhelmingly Choose A Pension Over A 401k
- Study Finds Retirees With 401ks Not Doing Well On Investing
- View Recent VSEA Pension Posts
Questions About This Page?
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