Lawmakers Pass 2019 Budget Adjustment Bill, Which Funds Reclassifications & Woodside 

After being held up for weeks over a water-quality money issue, VSEA Policy Analyst Adam Norton reported from the State House late last Friday that lawmakers had passed the 2019 budget adjustment bill.

Norton said that there are three items included in the budget adjustment bill that are very important to VSEA DOC, DPS and Woodside members, which are:

1) Funding a one-grade-up reclassification of Corrections Officers 1 and 2, who recently prevailed in a class-action request for reclassification. Norton estimates the reclassifications to total approximately $2 million; 

2) Funding a one-grade-up reclassification for State Trooper sergeants, lieutenants and captains, who were also successful in a recent reclassification effort. Norton estimates their reclassification will total approximately $1.8 million; and

3) Adding an additional $2.7 million to the beleaguered Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center’s budget to keep the facility operating through June 2019.

Note: No timetable yet for when the reclassification funds will begin to be disbursed, but VSEA will be informing members as soon as it is determined.

Senate Committee Takes Testimony On VSEA Bill To Restore Fairness To The Process To Resolve Contract Disputes

Note: This is a very important bill for VSEA members across the board, and WIA will continue to update members about the bill’s progress. It’s especially important as many VSEA Bargaining Teams are now beginning to prep for a new round of negotiations, beginning this fall.  

VT House Passes Family Leave Bill

From VTDigger 4/4 story:

Under current law, Vermont’s workers have scarce access to paid family leave programs: only 15 percent of employees are offered paid leave benefits by their employers.

“The focus of this legislation is to provide access to this benefit to those Vermonters who struggle the most,” Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, told House lawmakers Thursday. “This program allows all working Vermonters to access a benefit that only a few lucky Vermonters have today.”

Note: The State is floating an alternate family and medical leave bill that calls for a joint effort with New Hampshire. VSEA is on record rejecting the State’s alternative. Many House members agreed with VSEA’s position and also rejected the State’s plan with their vote yesterday. This morning, New Hampshire press is reporting that the state’s Governor is already saying his state will move on without Vermont, given yesterday’s Vermont House vote.

Reminder! VSEA Wants Your Input On Child Care

VSEA’s child-care survey started out of the gate strong but responses are waning, so another friendly reminder to please take a few minutes to complete your union’s short nine-question survey on this important topic.

Background: 

VSEA has filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) against the State for implementing an infants-at-work policy without first bargaining it with your union, VSEA leaders are seeking immediate input from members on issues and concerns with Vermont’s current child-care system, what improvements are needed and what child-care options the State should consider offering, i.e. on-site child-care facilities in state office buildings.  
 
To find out how members feel, a VSEA child-care survey has been created. VSEA leaders are asking any and all members to complete this important survey, so they can be as prepared and educated as possible, if the Labor Board rules for VSEA and we end up at the table, working with the State to craft a thoughtful policy with input from any and all state employees who will benefit.  
 
Take Child-Care Survey Here 
 
Thanks in advance!

VSEA Schedules 2019 “Day At Fenway” Event For Saturday, June 8!

 
As in years past, the bus will make stops in Waterbury (State Office Complex, 7:00 a.m.) and White River Junction (I-91, Exit 12, 8:00 a.m.). 

New seat location this year is Section 89, Rows DD-HH (Right Field).

April 12 Is Final Day To Donate To VSEA NEK / St. Johnsbury Chapter’s Food Drive 

Time is running out for VSEA NEK / St Johnsbury Chapter members to donate to your Chapter’s food drive, which will benefit local food shelves in Lyndonville and St. Johnsbury.

If you will are collecting at your office and want to arrange a donation(s) pickup, or if you have questions, please contact Ellen Hinman (Chapter President 751-0123), Dianne Rivers (Chapter Vice President 626-6497) or Monique Prive (Chapter Secretary/Treasurer 626-6364 )

Donations are being accepted until April 12, 2019.

Thank you in advance for donating to this worthy cause!

Reserve Your Room Now For VSEA’s 2019 Annual Meeting At Okemo 

VSEA members will need to use a special rate code for the event, which is:

CM2VSEA

Reserve Room Now Here! 

Room types available:

• Inn Room (occupancy 2-4)
  1 to 2 nights = $159 per night
  3 nights = $144.54
   
• Studio (occupancy 2-4)
  1 to 2 nights = $173 per night
  3 nights = $157.27
   
• One-Bedroom (occupancy 2-6)
  1 to 2 nights = $195 per night
  3 nights = $177.63
   
• Two-Bedroom (occupancy 4-6)
  1 to 2 nights = $235 per night
  3 nights = $213.63

The Committee is also sharing that there are two things members identified in the survey as important discussions to be conducted at Annual Meeting, including a review, discussion and vote on the union’s operating budget and a celebration of “surviving the Janus decision.” 

The Committee is reminding members to keep an eye out in future WIAs for more 2019 Annual Meeting updates.

New Rates For VSEA Members Skiing & Riding At Bolton Valley!

Buy next year’s season pass now and:

• Get the lowest price of the year; AND
   
• Ski & Ride the rest of this season FREE!!! That’s right, if you buy next year’s pass now, you can ski/ride Bolton for the rest of this season on next season’s pass!

All VSEA members in good standing are eligible to purchase a pass or passes. You can purchase yours today by first contacting VSEA by email at vsea@vsea.org. VSEA will verify your membership status and provide you with VSEA’s code, which you will need to complete your online purchase.

Once you have the required code:

• Click here;
   
• Click “Buy Online”;
   
• In the “Cart View,” click on “Add / Change Guest” to set the pass-holder’s name and information to each pass, then;
   
• Click “Proceed to Checkout”;
   
• Enter VSEA’s promotional code and click “Apply Code.” The cart should refresh and reflect your discount.

VSEA
Insurance Benefits!

VSEA Insurance Benefits is now making the following Aflac insurance policies available to VSEA members!

Know Your Rights Training

• Rutland – Asa Bloomer Bldg.
  Thursday, April 11
  12:00 p.m.
  88 Merchants Row
  Fourth Floor Conference Room
  Rutland  

  Questions: Contact VSEA Organizer David Oppenheimer: doppenheimer@vsea.org

Coalition Of Vermont Unions Holds Press Conference To Highlight Card-Check-Recognition Bills

Press conference participants shared that, despite Vermont labor’s united front on this issue–including the support of Working Vermont (which VSEA is a member of)–Senate and House lawmakers have yet to hold hearings on the bills, let alone move either out of committee.

New Study Finds Vermont Narrowing Its Gender Pay Gap Faster Than Any Other State

April 2 was “Equal Pay Day”; the nation’s annual reminder that men are still being paid more than women for doing the same work. However, on the plus side, a new study finds Vermont is narrowing the gap faster than any other state.

From a March 29 Vermont Biz posting about the study:

PayScale, a compensation data and software provider, just released new research into the gender pay issue called The 2019 State of the Gender Pay Gap Report. Overall, women in the US earn 79 cents for every dollar earned by men; when comparing compensation for all women versus all men (what PayScale calls the uncontrolled pay gap). However, in Vermont, women earn more – 87 cents for every dollar earned by men. Additionally, when PayScale controlled for various factors such as experience and job title (ie comparing apples-to-apples regarding compensation) to determine how much a woman makes compared to a man doing the same job, Vermont came out on top again. Nationally, this ‘controlled’ pay gap shows that similarly qualified women earned 2% less than men who do the same job. But, in Vermont, the uncontrolled pay gap essentially disappeared and women and men in the same roles were paid the same amount.

Post-Janus, AFSCME Reports 8:1 Ratio Of New Sign Ups To Opt Outs

In These Times reported recently on how one of America’s largest public-sector unions, AFSCME, is doing in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 anti-worker, anti-union Janus decision. Like VSEA, AFSCME is reporting an actual uptick in sign ups after Janus, which is not making Mark Janus or the corporate entities who helped him bring his lawsuit forward–and fund it for him–very happy. Oh, boo hoo…

From the ITT story: 

Many predicted the [Janus] case, bankrolled by a network of conservative billionaires and think tanks, could put the nail in the coffin of public sector unions by encouraging workers to opt out of paying dues in favor of becoming “free riders.”

AFSCME’s numbers, part of its annual Department of Labor filing, show one of the largest public sector unions has managed to dodge a worst case scenario in the immediate wake of Janus, due in no small part to its preparation for the decision, which focused on retaining rank-and-file members.

Since unions braced for revenues from agency fee-payers to evaporate when the Janus decision came down, a 6 percent decline in membership—less than the total number of “fair share” workers AFSCME represented last year—was an anticipated loss.

However, AFSCME’s member sign-ups since the Janus decision outpace member opt-outs at a rate of 8 to 1.

On 51st Anniversary Of Dr. King’s Tragic Assassination, NH Labor & Faith Communities Join To Reflect On His Support For Economic Justice  

April 4 was the 51st anniversary of the tragic assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and NH Labor News reports this week that members of the state’s faith and labor communities came together on April 4 to commemorate the event by “reflecting on Dr. King’s legacy of support for economic justice.”

“That ‘all labor has dignity’ is one of Dr. King’s enduring messages,” said the Rev. Gail Kinney, Worker Justice Minister at the Meriden Congregational Church.  “Remembering that Dr. King was killed while he was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers, we will gather to lift up the importance of decent wages and dignified working conditions for all New Hampshire workers, including those who care for our most vulnerable neighbors and others in the lowest wage occupations.”

NH labor was represented at the event by Glen Brackett, president of the NH AFL-CIO and Rich Gulla, president of the NH State Employees Association/SEIU Local 1984

Maine Lawmaker’s “Buy American, Build Maine” Act Gets Public Hearing

“I have always believed that if there is work to be done in Maine, it ought to be done by Maine workers,” said Jackson. “Where there is economic activity in our state, our businesses, workers and communities should benefit from it. Year after year, Maine spends hundreds of millions of dollars on procurements and contracts. This work is done with the support of Maine taxpayers — it’s only fair to ensure that it provides some benefits back to them.”

The Maine AFL-CIO is supporting the bill as it begins to move through the legislature. 

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