Another Opportunity To Have A Seat At The Table!
One Of The Best Ways To Get Involved In Your Union Is To Run For Election To The VSEA Board!
VSEA is now accepting petitions for the following Officer positions:
President;
First Vice President;
Second Vice President;
Clerk; and
Treasurer.
Any member in good standing can run for an Officer position.
Learn more or download petitions here.
The VSEA Board of Trustees met today and more details about last week’s meeting between VSEA Corrections members and Governor Phil Scott were discussed, followed by the Board voting to send the following statement to members:
“The VSEA Board of Trustees supports and stands by its members working in the Department of Corrections and the people they serve. We value the expert work they perform in the most demanding and challenging of settings and will continue to advocate on their behalf to immediately address:
1) Chronic understaffing
2) Mandatory overtime and double shifts
3) Inconsistent policies/standards among facilities and field offices
4) Recruitment and retention issues
5) Unsafe working conditions
All state employees deserve safe working conditions, to protect them and those that they serve.
Our union, the VSEA, stands with you.”
Correction! July 29 Paycheck Will Reflect Newly Adopted VSEA Dues Structure
August 2 Deadline For Eligible Members To Cast Your Ballot In District Board Of Trustee Elections
VSEA Officer Petitions Due July 16, 2021
VSEA ERN Committee Reminds About VSEA Policy, Governing Internal Elections
Staffing Crisis At Springfield Prison Prompts DOC To Shift Staff From Marble Valley
Springfield CO Circulating Petition To Get AC Installed At Southern State
VSEA Senior Union Representatives Shifting Territories
VSEA Hosting “A Day In The Park” For Members & Families
Upcoming Union Meetings and Events:
Maine State Workers Rally For Fair Contract
Oregon Lawmakers Vote To Invest In State Workers
Read The Full Newsletter Here!
On Saturday, July 10, VSEA is hosting a “Day In The Park” for members and their families to enjoy one of six Vermont state parks, including:
At each of the parks listed, VSEA Chapters will be providing members and their families with free park entry, plus free food and beverages. The park day is meant to be a small thank you to VSEA members for your hard work during this especially difficult past year.
VSEA issued the following press release this morning:
A delegation of Vermont State Employees’ Association (VSEA) members belonging to the union’s Corrections Unit will be meeting with Governor Scott on Friday to discuss the myriad of issues and worries created by a constant lack of staff in Vermont’s correctional facilities. Joining the VSEA delegation will be VSEA leaders and staff.
“It is way past time for the state, lawmakers, and Department of Corrections’ management to seriously address the clear and very serious–possibly dangerous–short-staffing problem in correctional facilities that has existed for years,” says VSEA President Aimee Towne. “Sadly, an already demanding work environment has been made unbearable by COVID-19, which reduced staff even further in many of our facilities and placed even more stress on remaining frontline Corrections employees. More stress at work can translate to more stress at home.”
Towne says employees report sleeping in their cars at the prison to avoid crashing on the way home due to exhaustion after often being mandated to work a double shift of 16 hours. VSEA Corrections’ members also say the demands of the job and associated overtime are negatively impacting their family lives, meaning they are often missing important life events like births, graduations, celebrations. etc.