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Photos from VSEA Vets’ Home members Leona Center and John Dunham’s day at the State House on March 21. During the course of the day, the VVH employees found themselves having to correct several pieces of minsinformation being conveyed to legislators by VVH administrators. One is an allegation of 22 "call-outs" on one day, which administrators say really hampered the VVH’s ability to properly staff that day. However, administrators failed to qualify their comments with the fact that VVH supervisors were advising employees to "call-out on Monday" (the 22-deficiency day) due to the weekend OT (mandatory?) some employees had racked up. Dunham and Carter both continued to stress the need for adequate staffing at the VVH.

"Any given day we have a couple of people who are stuck in an emergency room," said Mary Moulton, the commissioner of the Vt. Department of Mental Health.

$ Red Flag — "Transports and assistance are not a new part of the budget formula for the state department of mental health. But with less room for patients, that portion of the budget ate an additional 33 percent last year, bringing the total to $160,000."

Here’s what this story boils down to, from the July 12 Brattleboro Reformer:

“They are paid through the State payroll system, they have State e-mail and their pay and benefits are administered through the Department of Human Resources,” [VSEA Associate General Counsel Abigail] Winters explains. “They do, in fact, work for the State.” In VSEA’s representation petition to the VLRB, Winters spelled out VSEA’s argument even further, writing “Deputy State’s Attorneys are subject to a statewide pay plan established by the State of Vermont Department of Human Resources.  These workers have been erroneously denied bargaining unit representation without any statutory basis and have not been able to engage in collective bargaining with respect to their pay, benefits and working conditions, in violation of SELRA.”

“Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs say they are developing a plan to use additional staff members proposed by the governor to help alleviate safety concerns at the state’s largest veterans home. Gov. Scott Walker’s newest budget proposal includes authorization for more than 110 new positions at the Veterans Home at King as part of $43.3 million in initiatives to help veterans in the next two years. Those positions would include 58 certified nurse assistants and 25 full-time registered nurses. The remainder of the 110 positions would be nonmedical jobs.”

VSEA Member Sheila Lowe Talks Parking Issues On Last Night’s “The 30”