Vermont State Employees’ Association’s Board Of Trustees Passes Resolution, Condemning Sexual Harassment & Exploitation

For Immediate Release
January 9, 2020
Contact: Doug Gibson
802-223-5247

The Vermont State Employees’ Association’s Board of Trustees met on Monday and passed a resolution that reads: 

Whereas, Numerous reports have come to light in December 2019 detailing sexual harassment and exploitation in Vermont’s workforce;

Resolved, That the VSEA Board of Trustees condemns the sexual harassment and exploitation of all people living and working in Vermont;

Resolved, That the VSEA Board of Trustees commends and encourages all efforts to bring forward credible reports of abuse, and condemns any attempts to silence, intimidate, or retaliate against people bringing forward such reports; and

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Seven Days Article Shines Spotlight On Lengthy DHR Employee Investigations; An Issue On VSEA & The Auditor’s Radar For Years

Seven Days published a piece today, titled, "Cost of Misconduct: State Employees Placed on Leave Get Paid While Investigations Drag On" and it’s definitely worth a read. In the piece, VSEA Executive Director Steve Howard and DHR’s Deputy make it clear that AHS Secretary Smith’s desire to eliminate stipulated agreements is the wrong way to approach the issue.

Reminder: In 2016, the State Auditor highlighted DHR’s lengthy investigations in a report. Here’s an excerpt from a 2017 post to VSEA’s website.

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Stalled Bargaining Forces VSEA Judiciary Unit To File ULP Against Court Administrator

In what VSEA Judiciary Unit Bargaining Team members say is an all-too-familiar pattern of stalling by the Court Administrator when it comes to discussing wages and benefits at the bargaining table, VSEA’s Judiciary Unit filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) this afternoon with the Vermont Labor Relations Board (VLRB), charging the Court Administrator with “failing and refusing to meet at reasonable times and confer in good faith with respect to wages and other compensation.” The ULP adds that the Court Administrator is “further engaging in surface bargaining by delaying substantive negotiations over compensation, refusing to respond to proposals relating to compensation, and by otherwise refusing to engage in good-faith negotiations with the intent of reaching an agreement over compensation, all with the intent of imposing terms negotiated by the Executive Branch, all in violation of 3 VSA 1026(5) and 1036(e).”


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VSEA’s Week In Action Newsletter: January 3, 2020

Top Stories This Week:

Read the entire newsletter here!

Subscribe to Week In Action here!

VSEA Judiciary Unit Members Are Going To Need All Members’ & Retirees’ Support Early In 2020

Unlike VSEA’s Executive Branch members, who negotiate contracts directly with the Governor’s Office, VSEA’s Judiciary Unit members negotiate directly with the Court Administrator. VSEA Judiciary Unit Bargaining Team members report that the Court Administrator has been very difficult to negotiate with the past and she is, sadly, again being very difficult in the Unit’s current round of bargaining, which began a few months back.

 

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