DCF Caseloads Continue To Rise, Especially In Franklin County

Despite the warranted and well-deserved attention lawmakers and elected officials paid this year to VSEA members working for the Department for Children and Families, VTDigger reports on August 14 that the number of children in state custody is continuing to rise across Vermont, but especially in Franklin County.

The story features a great breakdown of the numbers of children in custody and possible reasons why, but the director of the DCF Family Services Division in St. Albans makes a point to explain the impact of the rise on an already beleaguered workforce. “It’s frightening,” explains Alix Gibson. “It just keeps going up.” She labels the impact of the caseload increase on frontline workers as “tremendous,” adding, “[DCF workers are]scared for their safety, and they all acknowledge if they had more time to develop relationships with clients they might not feel so scared for their safety all the time.”

As for the rise in the number of children in state custody, Franklin County State’s Attorney Jim Hughes tells the reporter that he too is at a loss for how to address the increase, saying, “I don’t know how to fix it. If I did I probably would be in a more expensive chair.”

The story does remind that (thanks to VSEA members’ lobbying at the State House), the St. Albans DCF office will be getting three new social worker positions. In addition, they are in the process of trying to fill an additional six social worker positions that are currently vacant.

VSEA Labor Educator Announces Fall 2016 Training Schedule

VSEA Labor Educator Tim Lenoch asked WIA to announce a new round of trainings he has scheduled for the fall of 2016. If you are interested in registering to attend one or more trainings, you can do so by clicking here. All trainings begin at 9:00 a.m. Please direct any of your training questions to Tim at tlenoch@vsea.org.

Trainings in blue are for all members.

Steward Training: Representing Co-Workers In Disciplinary Meetings & Investigations
Friday, September 30
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward 1: Introduction & The Basics
Tuesday, October 4
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward Training: Judiciary Unit
Friday, October 7
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward Training: Health Care Facilities
Friday, October 14
Rutland/Mendon – TBD

Steward 2: Protecting The Contract & Building The Union
Tuesday, October 18
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward Training: Department for Children and Families
Friday, October 21
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward 3: The Contract & Challenges in the Workplace
Tuesday, October 25
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward Training: Health Care-Related Departments
Friday, November 4
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward Training: The Labor/Management Committee
Thursday, November 10
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward Training: Protecting Bargaining Unit Work
Friday, November 18
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward 1: Introduction & The Basics
Wednesday, November 30
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward Training: The Grievance
Wednesday, December 7
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward 2: Protecting The Contract & Building The Union
Wednesday, December 14
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

Steward 3: The Contract & Challenges in the Workplace
Wednesday, December 21
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin

> Register For Trainings Online Here!

Retirees’ Chapter Elects New Officers

• Robert Hooper – President
• Carol Hammond – Vice President
• Terry Lefebvre – Clerk
• TBD – Treasurer

VSEA congratulates the winners!

VSEA AOT Member’s Voice Featured In New VPR Series

Photo: VPR

VSEA AOT member Jerold Kinney was one of several Vermonters whose accent was featured in a new series this week on Vermont Public Radio, called Brave Little State. The show’s premise is to take a question(s) from a listener(s) and then work with them to find the answer(s). The show premiered with a question about the history of the Vermont accent, and the moderator reached out to Kinney because she had heard his accent in a recent AOT ad. When asked about his accent in the piece, Kinney jokes, “I’m not sure what a Vermont accent is. I think everybody else talks funny. I’m not really sure where it comes from.” It’s an entertaining and educational piece. Worth a listen.

> Listen Here!

VSEA To Conduct General Election “Endorsement Survey.”

Participation Requires Member’s Home Email

VSEA’s Legislative Committee will soon be conducting an endorsement survey to provide your Board of Trustees with better insight on how VSEA members feel about all the candidates running for statewide office in this year’s general election. Your Board of Trustees governs VSEA’s political process, so input to the body from as many members as possible is very important.

IMPORTANT! In order for a member to participate in the upcoming general election survey, VSEA must have the member’s updated home email address. VSEA cannot send emails of a political nature, such as the endorsement survey announcement, to state email addresses. If you are unsure, or don’t remember ever providing VSEA with your home email, please take time today to submit your name and home email address by clicking here.

VSEA’s general election endorsement survey will begin on August 23 and run through September 5.

More information to come as date approaches. If you have any questions, please call 802-223-5247 or email vsea@vsea.org.

New Candidate VSEA Questionnaire Answers Now Online

In an effort to provide interested VSEA members with more information about a candidate’s positions on issues of importance to you, the VSEA Legislative Committee has collected responses from most statewide general-election candidates to a questionnaire, and their answers are now available online.

New responses have been posted by candidates running for Secretary of State, Auditor and Attorney General. Previous responses remain from candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor and other statewide positions.

> Read Candidates Questionnaire Responses Here!

Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital Chapter’s Annual Meeting Is August 25

VSEA’s Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital Chapter will hold its Chapter Annual Meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25, in the Round Room inside the at the VPCH. Members with questions should contact VSEA Union Representative Rachael Fields by email at rfields@vsea.org.

Barre Chapter Schedules Two Member Appreciation Day Events

Barre Chapter President Sue LaFleche asked WIA to let Chapter members know that there are two Member Appreciation Day Events scheduled in the coming weeks. Each will feature free ice cream for VSEA members. The dates of the events are:

Thursday, August 25
Noon to 1 p.m.
Barre City Place, Fourth-Floor Fishbowl

Wednesday, August 31
Noon to 1 p.m.
McFarland State Office Building Lobby

If you have any questions, please contact Sue by email at Suzanne.lafleche@vermont.gov.

Up-To-Date Schedule Of Remaining Chapter Annual Meetings

Here are the remaining Chapter Annual Meetings:

• Addison – TBD
• Vermont State Hospital – Thursday, August 25 – TBD – 2:00 p.m.

WIA will update this each week with times and locations, as they are learned. If your Chapter has scheduled its meeting, please make a note of the date and try to attend, as your voice is important.

Calling All VSEA Campaign 2016 Volunteers!

In the weeks leading up to the Vermont’s August 9 primary election—and then to the November 8 general election—VSEA Legislative Committee members and HQ staff will be asking members to volunteer some time to assist candidates who have received VSEA’s endorsement and who deserve our support. A reminder that, this year, there are five VSEA members running for office, and each could use your help.

There are many ways for you to participate in VSEA’s Campaign 2016 activities, including:

• Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored phone bank;
• Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored honk-and-wave;
• Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored door-to-door canvassing effort;
• Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored candidate(s) rally;
• Educate your family, friends and colleagues about the candidate and his/her positions on issues important to VSEA members;
• March with a candidate in a parade;
• Volunteer to help at a candidate’s headquarters (if applicable) with things like answering phones, filing, assembling educational packets/mailings, etc.;
• Put a yard sign in your yard, or help the candidate distribute signs in your area;
• Host a candidate house party;
• Drive voters to the polls on Election Day;
• Pen a letter to the editor in support of VSEA-endorsed candidate(s); and
• Make a monetary contribution to a candidate(s).

If you would be interested in volunteering some time to help your union’s campaign 2016 efforts, please contact VSEA Organizing Director Vinnie O’Connor by email voconnor@vsea.org, or by phone at 223-5247.

Important Note: It is imperative that VSEA have your current home email address, so you can receive political material. This is because some messages could be labeled partisan, and therefore they are not permissible to send to work emails. When contacting Vinnie with interest, please be sure to let him know your current home email. Thanks!

Subscribe To VSEA!

VSEA’s Communications Department is happy to disseminate any and all communications the leadership, Chapters, Units, and others request, however, the lists the Department currently pull from are provided to the union by the State of Vermont. VSEA’s Communications Department has found the lists to be dated, incomplete and sometimes lacking key information that was entered by a VSEA staff person but later overwritten or deleted during a State data dump.

To help VSEA more effectively reach active members—and really all those members who want to know what’s going on in their union—VSEA will be working hard in the coming months to collect members’ emails on its own and begin to build contact lists that cannot be altered by a State download.

You can help us get started by clicking here and signing up for the VSEA communications you are interested in receiving.

Thank you in advance for subscribing. Please urge your colleagues to do the same.