Josh Massey

Josh Massey
Union Representative: Barre, Waterbury, Central Vermont (except AOT)
jmassey@vsea.org

 

New VSEA Union Representative Josh Massey isn’t new to VSEA or to state employee issues, having worked for the union for more than a year as an organizer before leaving the position early in 2014 to become Field Director for the Vermont Democratic Party. After leading a host successful grassroots get-out-the-vote efforts across Vermont and celebrating the end of the 2014 election, Josh-o decided that he really wanted to return to VSEA, only this time to work as a Union Representative.

"I learned a lot about VSEA and our members by working as a Organizer, and I look forward to applying this knowledge in my new role as a Union Representative," says Massey. "Even though I will be doing more one-to-one work in my new position, I also want to assist VSEA members in my territories to reslove workplace issues important to the group."  

After graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2001, Massey worked shortly in the field of real estate, but, a few years after starting, America’s housing market went bust and Josh-o and his family were left in economic crisis.

“It was then that I decided to dedicate the rest of my professional career to fighting to protect working families like mine,” says Massey. “I went back to school and studied political science so I could become a union organizer or a representative to help make a fundamental difference for society.”

Josh-o attributes a lot of his interest in workers and their issues to his mother, a retired teacher and lifelong union member. He also sold insurance early in his career for a union-only provider and was able to meet and talk with union members about their issues and concerns, which he identified with and wanted to help them fix.

“I want to be a vehicle for members to communicate their worksite issues and be able to help them protect and improve their workplace for the better,” says Massey. “The stronger the voice of the VSEA membership, the more influence they can gain in the decision-making process.”

Massey, a lifelong Kentucky Wildcats fan, is married and has three children. He enjoys snowboarding, hiking and camping.