From a VTDigger Story:
“Between the investment returns and the surpluses, Steve Howard, the executive director of the Vermont State Employees Association, said there is a “Mack Truck”-sized hole in the “argument that the sky is falling, that we’re in a crisis, that the pensions are on the verge of collapse.”
Remembrance Of Our Union Sister, Lara Sobel
First Tri-Union Pension Task Force Meeting Update Is Monday!
Register Today To Attend VSEA’s 77th Annual Meeting, In Person Or Virtually
State Announces Premium Holidays
DCF Family Services Division Members Urged To Complete Survey To Help Guide L / M Discussions
VSEA Sends Condolences To Family, Friends & Colleagues Of Robert Babcock Jr.
Next Week’s Union Meetings And Events
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Several VSEA Units are currently fighting to improve working conditions, and soon VSEA Bargaining Teams across the board will be entering into a new round of negotiations with the State, Judiciary, Housing Authority, State Colleges, etc., Show your solidarity by adding the frame above to your Facebook profile.
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VSEA has been reminding members about a vote at last year’s Annual Meeting to institute a new, sliding-scale dues structure. The new structure is set to start with employees’ July 29, 2021, paycheck. Dues will now be based on 0.83% of an employee’s pay, with a minimum of $16 and a maximum of $19. Here again is Dr. Leslie Matthews’ visual presentation to the 2020 Annual Meeting, explaining how the VSEA Dues Study Committee arrived at its now-adopted recommendation.
VSEA is sending condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Robert Babcock, who was VSEA’s second Executive Director, starting in the mid-70s. Babcock was hired by past VSEA President Terry Macaig.
“After just one Executive Director for many years, Robert was a breath of fresh air for VSEA,” Macaig remembers. “He was the right person at the right time for the job.”
Babcock’s obituary notes, “In the late-1970s, Bob headed the Vermont State Employees Association, where he convinced the Legislature to pass a long-overdue 16.6% salary increase for state workers.