VSEA’s Week In Action Newsletter: October 16, 2020

This week’s WIA features stories about openings that currently exist across VSEA, including the First Vice President post, several Judiciary Unit positions, and two VSEA Chapters needing officers. VSEA urges members who aren’t currently active in VSEA to consider these open positions or any others in the future.

Vets’ Home Members Make Their Case Against Management To Facility’s Board

President Towne Officially Certified. Search Begins For New First Vice President

President Towne Posts First Video Update

VSEA Chapters Schedule Meetings To Elect New Officers

VPCH​ & MTCR Member 10/21 Zoom Meetings

Judiciary Unit Casting Net To Fill Unit Vacancies

Special Meeting To Discuss Dues Proposal Is October 25!

State’s Free Flu Clinics Open & Operating

Quote Of The Week!

Iowa Public Employees Look To Continue String Of Re-Certifying Their Union(s)

Report Ranks States By Amount Of Land Owned By Feds


Read The Full Newsletter Here!

State Treasurer Cautions VSEA Members To Ready For A Pension Fight

At VSEA’s 76th Annual Meeting, VSEA members participating were greeted by State Treasurer Beth Pearce, and she cautioned state employees to begin preparing (again) for a renewed attack soon on state employees’ defined benefit pension plan. Actually, Vermont’s own pension Chicken Little, David Coates, has never stopped his now decade-long campaign to convince lawmakers to implement a 401K plan for new hires to state government. Mind you, the last time VSEA checked, a majority of exempt state employees (read: not VSEA members), when given a choice, chose a defined benefit pension plan.

Pearce did stress that she is unsure right now what action(s) state employees could be asked to make to shore up the pension fund, but she warned it could include a call for employees to increase your contribution. Pearce promised to keep us informed, and she vowed to continue to fight alongside VSEA members to protect your pension.

Continue Reading Here…

​VSEA President Posts First Weekly Video Update

Today’s video post from newly elected VSEA President Aimee Towne​ is the first video update she’ll be sharing with the membership weekly. New updates will post every Monday morning at roughly 10:30 a.m.

Towne says she will be covering some of the content contained in the previous Friday’s Week In Action newsletter, as well as providing members and retirees with any calls to action, urgent needs, updates from the State House, pension news, and whatever else important is on VSEA’s radar screen.

VSEA’s Week In Action Newsletter: October 9, 2020

This Week:

VSEA President Launching Weekly Membership Video Updates

Clerk Warns Special Meeting To Discuss Dues Proposal Adopted At Annual Meeting

Union Power! Newly Organized SAS Employees Unite To Win Right To Participate In State’s Free Flu Clinics

No Premium Rate Increase For Employees & Retirees In State’s Medical Plans

VSEA Reiterates Opposition To Any Additional Request To Shift Membership To OneCare

VSEA President’s Message About Reconstituted Member Committees

California Furloughs Create Massive Backlog In Processing Unemployment Claims

Four Maine State Employees Who Maintain Gov’t Buildings Test Positive For COVID


Read The Full Newsletter Here!

Here’s Why Treasurer Pearce Deserves Re-Election!

In a recent article posted to a site devoted to pensions and investments, State Treasurer Beth Pearce’s position on pensions is compared with that of her main opponent’s, Carolyn Whitney Branagan. Their answers make it clear who deserves VSEA member and retiree votes.

“The defined benefit style of building a retirement system is old-fashioned, it doesn’t work anymore,” Branagan says. “So we need to come up with an alternative, a more modern way of building retirement.”

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“Defined benefit plans, when they provide adequate dollars in retirement, are an economic generator because they result in folks buying goods and services and that creates more jobs,” Pearce says. “They also “provide the best benefit for those employees and facilitate better recruitment and longevity of our employees. “Note: Ask yourself. When Ms. Branagan says a DB plan “doesn’t work anymore,” who exactly isn’t it working for? And “alternative, more modern way” translates to putting new hires in a defined contribution plan, which benefits whom exactly?

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