2015 End of Legislative Session Report

May 28, 2015  3:13 pm

The gavel banged on May 16, officially ending what was a pretty unsettling 2015 legislative session for many state employees and the services they provide. Coming out of the session, VSEA member sentiments seem to range from “it could have been a lot worse” to “the State never should have put its employees in this position in the first place.” No matter how you look at it, the good fights that frontline VSEA members fought this session did produce results, did let Vermonters know that VSEA members are united in opposition to a cuts-heavy approach, did provide alternative and creative ways to generate new revenue and, finally, did help change the debate in Montpelier.

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State Signs S. 72, Granting VSEA Members The Right To Bargain For Binding Arbitration

May 26, 2015  11:08 am

Vermont State Employees Association (VSEA) President Shelley Martin (pictured here in red jacket) was at the State House this morning to watch the Governor sign S. 72: an act relating to binding arbitration for state employees and other Vermont workers covered under the State Employee Labor Relations Act (SELRA). Currently, VSEA members, State Troopers and UVM employees are the only union workers in Vermont not permitted the right to bargain for grievance arbitration.

“VSEA members and our union representatives have been telling union leaders for years that they would like the right to bargain for a neutral arbitrator to decide grievances, which is why we lobbied so hard to get S. 72 passed and now signed into law,” explains Martin. "Again, I would stress that this bill only allows VSEA the right to bargain for this binding arbitration, and we must now sit down with the State to make it happen."

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