Author: Doug Gibson

Mark Your Calendars! Here Are The 2022 VSEA Executive Branch Steward Trainings:

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Via Zoom

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 

Friday, June 24, 2022

Location TBD

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 

Friday, September 23, 2022

Location TBD

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 

Friday, December 16, 2022

Location TBD

8:30 a.m.

1.    An employee in who refuses to sign the form to attest that they are fully vaccinated and refuses to comply with regular COVID-19 testing or wear an appropriate face covering:

a.   Will be placed in an authorized off payroll status (AOFF) for a period not to exceed five (5) workdays to reconsider complying with the program’s requirements.  Authorized off payroll is unpaid leave.

b.   Any employee who fails to comply within the five (5) workday period, will be placed on an Unpaid Administrative Leave of Absence until such time as they decide to comply, or the mitigation measures are lifted.  An Unpaid Administrative Leave of Absence is unpaid leave and benefits (example: an employee would need to pay 100% of health insurance premiums).

2.    Falsification of an Attestation form will be considered gross misconduct and addressed through the normal disciplinary processes.

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• Any final proposals put forth will not negatively impact current retirees or active employees who are within ten years of current normal retirement eligibility and inactive vested members;
• Application of one-time monies towards UAAL, $225M;
• Designate a revenue source with annual contribution, $50M;
• Increase Employee Contribution .35% across all groups;
• Creation of Group G: would move Corrections who supervise offenders or work in the facility, VVH, VPCH, MTCR or any successor psychiatric facilities into this plan that would offer full retirement at 55 or early retirement at 50. Contribution rate would be same Group C; 
• Group F: Incentivize current members eligible for retirement to continue working past 30 years with 1% increase to their AFC per year;
• Group C: Incentivize current members eligible for early retirement at 50 to continue working with 1% increase to their AFC up to age 55;
• Pass language codifying Burlington Firefighters decision into statute. (a move to make pensions seen as a contract.);
• Further investigate/study prior investment performance to codify best practices;
• Audit/Evaluation: Conduct an independent evaluation of the pension fund’s performance, using an expert analyst contracted through the auditor’s office. The evaluation will identify reasons for the fund’s performance and independently ascertain and certify the performance, valuation, and fees of alternative investment managers like private equity, real estate, hedge funds, and commodities going back to 2011. Identify alternate and potential investment strategies to improve/stabilize performance; and
• Governance Best practices shall be defined as the recommendation of the study initiated by VPIC. Independence of members of the system on VPIC shall be a priority with no governor’s veto.

VSEA Board Holds Special Meeting To Address Harmful Pension Proposal

VSEA Leaders Continue To Meet This Weekend With Members & Retirees To Talk About The Proposal

Pension Fight Generates Press

VSEA Sends Reminder Postcards To Lawmakers That Pension Dollars Keep Vermont’s Economy Sound & Improve It

Send A Pension Message Visually!

Don’t Let Up!

And When Talking With Your Local Lawmakers…

Reminder: VSEA Pension Resources

Pension Protection!

Add This Frame To Your Facebook Profile Picture

AOT L / M Committee Looking For Classified AOT Employee In Finance To Fill Seat

Steward Training For Judiciary Is Next Week

April 9 Deadline To Submit Bylaw Changes

VSEA 101 Trainings Continue

Women’s History Month

Quote of the Week

Full newsletter here: https://bit.ly/3cqOMkI

Lawmakers today decided that two hours wasn’t enough to handle the number of Vermonters who want to speak for or against the Speaker’s pension proposals, so they added a second hearing.

Public Hearing 2 – Pensions
Monday, March 29
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Sign up To Speak: https://bit.ly/31jcCbq

Watch Hearing On House Committee’s Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3lN3hSG