In a VTDigger story this morning about Governor Scott’s latest fun with his veto pen, there’s this disturbing passage about Secretary of the Administration Suzanne Young’s response to a possible shutdown:
From the story:
"Secretary of Administration Susanne Young said the administration doesn’t have a contingency plan in place because there’s still ample time to reach an agreement with lawmakers.
‘We don’t believe there’s going to be a government shutdown. We’re planning to be fully operational on July 1,’ Young said.
‘We’re confident that the Legislature does not want operations, any operations, to stop on July 1,’ she added, “and we’re confident that we’re going to find a path forward with them.’”
Anyone else feeling confident?Must be nice to have the luxury to be insulated from this madness just because you work on the fifth floor of the Pavilion Building. Remember, many fifth-floor employees are state employees too. Some will even retire with a state employee pension. They should remind themselves of this little fact every once in a while.
VSEA has created an online form, where members and retirees who do not want to share their story publicly can do so anonymously here.
The VSEA Board of Trustees is asking members and retirees to respond below in the comments section to one of the following scenarios:
- Government shuts down on July 1, and you are told to stay at home, without pay. The State is not paying health care premiums.
- Government shuts down on July 1, and you are told you are essential and must report for work, but you won’t be paid. The State is not paying health care premiums.
- You’re a VSEA retiree who no longer knows if your next pension check is going to arrive or not. The State is not paying health care premiums.
VSEA appreciates your responses and continues to urge all members and retirees to call or email the Governor today with a message of "No government shutdown. Pass a budget."
Contact Governor Scott Here
VSEA’s Organizing and Communications Departments created a one-stop webpage where VSEA members and retirees can go to learn more about the Janus v. AFSCME case, which will be decided any day now by the U.S. Supreme Court. All signs point to SCOTUS delivering a bad decision to America’s public-sector workers by ruling that unions representing public-sector workers can no longer collect agency fees. Well known to most union members following this lawsuit is that it was brought forward by a right-to-work advocate and his allies, who want nothing more than to accelerate corporate Americas’ race to the bottom by dealing a massive economic blow to Vermont and all American workers and trampling all over your employment rights as well.
If you haven’t already, begin educating yourself today about what a bad Janus decision means—or supplement what you know already—by clicking here. Please also inform your co-workers about the Janus page and talk with them about what you learned and remind them of the importance of a union in their every day life. You could make a difference. Every study shows that nothing is more effective than member-to-member communication.
Continue Reading Here…
At yesterday’s VSEA Council meeting, Labor Relations Director Gary Hoadley shared the letter he received back from DHR, concerning VSEA’s request to impact bargain with the State, prior to a government shutdown. In the letter, DHR tells Hoadley it doesn’t believe it has to impact bargain with VSEA but would happy to "talk" with us about it. DHR also wrote it would be happy to answer any questions VSEA has, but did not answer any of the questions VSEA asked in its letter. DHR’s response arrived just a few days after DHR Commissioner Beth Fastiggi told VTDigger that DHR has had zero discussions about its role in a possible gov’t shutdown.
Continue Reading Here…
VSEA issued the following press release on June 8:
With the [State] now talking openly of using a state shutdown as leverage in budget negotiations, the Vermont State Employees’ Association (VSEA) sent a letter today to Department of Human Resources (DHR) Labor Relations Director John Berard, requesting to negotiate with the State “over the impact of any potential shutdown of state government on the bargaining unit members we represent.”
“State workers know what it means to have our ability to earn a living wage used as leverage, and we strongly object to this Administration threatening our livelihoods and our services in order to force its opponents to cave to its rigid budget demands," explains VSEA President Dave Bellini. "Governor Scott is using state workers–and really every Vermonter who depends on state funds for a living–as pawns in a political game. VSEA strongly believes this budget dispute must be resolved through the normal democratic process, not by economic coercion.”
Continue Reading Here…
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