The VSEA Judiciary Unit Bargaining Team reached a tentative agreement with the State of Vermont Judiciary on Friday, January 12th for a successor two-year contract that would become effective on July 1, 2024. The Bargaining Team will be scheduling informational meetings to review the settlement and answer members’ questions.
All agreements reached during contract negotiations are tentative pending approval by the unit membership through ratification voting. The dates for voting on this new contract have not been set.
VSEA and the AFT released a joint press statement this morning, publicly calling for the elimination of the VTSU Chancellor’s position.
The unions representing the faculty and the frontline workers, represented by the AFT and the VSEA are jointly calling on the Board of Trustees of Vermont State Colleges System to eliminate the Office of Chancellor. If that is not feasible, then to include their members on the search committee for the new chancellor as well as the Board of Trustees.
“VTSU needs to cut the massive $13 million dollars in bloated management salaries and invest more funding closer to the students by retaining faculty and increasing the pay of frontline staff.” Said Billie Neathawk, President of the VSEA VTSU Staff Federation and a 25-year employee on the VTSU Castleton Campus.
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VSEA is applauding news about interim Vermont State Colleges’ President Mike Smith’s announcement today that the plan is no longer to cut eight campus librarian positions or campus athletic programs. Smith made the announcement during today’s Colleges’ Board meeting.
“This is great news, and VSEA thanks interim President Smith and the Board for shelving the previous plan and doing what is right for all involved,” says VSEA President Aimee Towne. “The initial plan was a very bad one in the minds of many Vermonters, and that was evidenced by the large number of commentaries and letters to the editor blasting the decision, as well as plenty of testimony to lawmakers in the past few weeks against the cuts. VSEA is proud of the way our VSC librarians—and our entire State Colleges’ Unit—stood together in solidarity to help bring about its reversal. It’s a very good day!”
Towne also thanked the other labor unions and organizations who campaigned with VSEA against the initial decision to make cuts.
The news seemed great on the surface last Friday, after it was announced the plan to digitize the Vermont State Colleges’ campus libraries was being paused. But for VSEA’s VSC librarians, the news wasn’t so great. They were still being laid off, and once VSEA learned of the decision, the boxing gloves were back on.
From a story in yesterday’s Times Argus about the decision:
VSEA Executive Director Steve Howard said he first learned about the possible continuation of layoffs after VSEA made an inquiry on the matter to general counsel over the weekend. He added that he and many VSEA members were not pleased to find out the layoffs would not be rescinded.
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VSEA issued the following press release this afternoon:
Vermont State Employees’ Association (VSEA) members working for the Department for Children and Families (DCF) in the St. Albans Family Services Division office are applauding VOSHA’s decision this week to cite DCF for a “serious” health and safety violation, assessing a fine of $14,500.
The citation’s “type of violation”: Each employer shall furnish to each of his or her employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or significant physical harm to his or her employees; and the employer shall comply with safety and health standards promulgated under the VOSHA code.
The citation’s violation: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm, in that Family Services employees were exposed to the hazard of physical assaults by clients that could exhibit violent behavior during visitations within the employee’s office space, during client transports, and due to the lack of documented safety training.
“VSEA members working in DCF offices across Vermont have been voicing their concerns about their personal safety and health—and their colleagues’ safety—for years now, so this VOSHA DCF citation is certainly welcome and will hopefully improve protections for Family Services Division employees across the state,” explains VSEA President Aimee Towne, herself a DCF employee. “Frontline employees are performing critical public services every day across Vermont, and we all deserve to feel safe while at work.”
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