ERN Announces District Board Election Winners!
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Members of the VSEA Elections, Rules and Nominating Committee were at headquarters late yesterday to count mail-in ballots in the recent election to fill three District seats on the VSEA Board of Trustees. After adding the mail-in totals to the online count, the Committee certified the winners, and they are:
- District 1 Trustee – Barre, Central Vermont (includes Montpelier) Chapter Districts
Winner : Beth Aiken, Public Service Board
- District 2 Trustee – Waterbury, Vermont State Hospital Chapter Districts;
Winner : Brett Pierce, Department of Public Safety
- District 5 Trustee – Rutland, Bennington Chapter Districts
Winner : Victoria Thorpe, Judiciary
Congratulations to all the winners. Welcome the VSEA Board of Trustees.
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VSEA Officer Election Ballot Emailed TODAY To Members!
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| All eligible VSEA members are being emailed an electronic ballot today to vote in the VSEA officer elections!
Please look for an email from vote@ simplyvoting.com, which contains your ballot(s). If you do not receive an email from this address by August 3, please look in your “Other” or “Spam” folders before contacting headquarters to request that your ballot be reissued.
Important Reminder: VSEA sent ballots to members’ primary email address, provided the union has your correct home or work primary email address. This is a big reason why VSEA is constantly soliciting members to contact the union with your updated email address. You can update your contact information here anytime.
Election winners will be announced at VSEA’s Annual Meeting on September 14. |
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| Note: The ERN Committee and VSEA thank all the members who took time to vote. |
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New Round Of Executive Branch Unit Contract Negotiations Begins August 6
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| VSEA Director of Labor Relations Gary Hoadley let members of the Non-Management, Corrections, and Supervisory Unit Bargaining Teams know today that a new round of contract negotiations with the State will commence on on Tuesday, August 6 in Montpelier.
According to Hoadley, the opening meeting will include a discussion about of ground rules, schedules and information requests. He also says the State will once again use McNeil, Leddy and Sheahan, P.C. to act as co-chief spokesperson with the Department of Human Resources to represent the State during this round of bargaining.
Hoadley adds that Executive Branch Unit Bargaining Teams are continuing to meet to finalize proposals for submission to the State, once a meeting schedule has been established.
VSEA members are encouraged to contact their respective Unit Bargaining Team members with questions and input throughout negotiations.
Executive Branch Bargaining Team Contact Information |
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It’s VSEA Chapter Annual Meeting Season
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| VSEA Chapter Annual Meetings are currently being held statewide, in advance of VSEA’s Annual Meeting in September. This is your Chapter’s most important meeting of the year, as this is often the meeting where Chapter officer elections are conducted and Chapter business is discussed and decisions and expenditures approved, or not.
Here is a list of upcoming Chapter Annual Meetings
Central Vermont Chapter
August 6
Wrightsville Beach, Middlesex
5:00 p.m.
NEK / St. Johnsbury Chapter
August 8
ANR District Office
374 Emerson Hill Rd., Suite 4
Caledonia Conference Room
St. Johnsbury
5:00 p.m.
VPCH Chapter
August 8
VPCH
350 Fisher Road
Special Events Room
Berlin
3:00 p.m.
Franklin / Grand Isle Chapter
August 10
Kill Kare State Park
2714 Hathaway Point Rd.
St Albans City
11:00 a.m.
Brattleboro Chapter
August 20
Marina Restaurant
Putney Road (Springtree)
Brattleboro
4:45 p.m. |
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Annual Meeting Registration Deadline Extended To August 9!
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| What Is VSEA Annual Meeting?
Each September, VSEA invites members to attend the union’s most important event of the year; its Annual Meeting. At the meeting, there is discussion about VSEA’s operating budget, legislative priorities and many of the other issues impacting VSEA members and your services. Often, these discussions and debates are followed by a vote by the full body, and every active VSEA member in attendance gets a vote.
VSEA also hosts a barbeque the night before Annual Meeting, offering members an opportunity to network with colleagues and fellow union members in an informal setting. In addition, prizes and VSEA swag will be awarded to some lucky members attending this year’s Annual Meeting.
Your Union’s 75th Annual Meeting Is Being Held Saturday, September 14 At Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow Vermont! We hope you can make it!
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| Friday Evening BBQ Notice!
A reminder for those members attending the Friday evening, September 13, barbecue at West Hill Recreation Park to please bring lawn chairs. Thank you!
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This year the following exhibitors will be attending Annual Meeting:
- Liberty Mutual Insurance Company – Joan Hoose
- Augeo – Paul Phillips
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – Bobby Arnell
- M3 Technology, LLC – Paul McNally
- NE Delta Dental – Sarah Thayer
- R.K. Tongue Insurance – Tim Girard
- Union Now – Jim Flannigan
- Capitol City Kia – Brian Preston
- Biggam Fox & Skinner (Workers Comp Lawyers) – Heidi Groff
- NY Long Term Care Brokers –Erik Hukey
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Quote Of
The Week!
"Sometimes we’re here until 10 or 11 at night when we’re supposed to be off at 5 or 7, depending on the shift. Human resources tells me, no, you’re not mandated to stay, but my manager says that I am. So it’s very contradictory.”
Jason Fuller, a registered nurse at Albany (NY) Medical Center, commenting in a July 31 Albany Times Union story about a forum held this week by hospital staff to highlight "safe-staffing" concerns. Fuller and his colleagues are fighting for a first contract after voting last year to unionize.
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Member Appreciation Day Events
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Maine State Employees Ratify New, Two-Year Agreement
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| Maine Public reports this morning that 10,000 Maine state employees have overwhelmingly ratified a new, two-year contract that awards the workers a 3% raise September 1, and at least a 4% increase in December of 2020. According to the story, the size of the second raise depends on where a worker’s position falls on the pay scale.
MSEA President Ramona Welton says the contract has many provisions. “One of the big ones in the package is 14 days paid family leave for birth or adoption of a child. That’s brand new for us.” |
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Commentary Strongly Defends Public Employee Defined Benefit Pension Plans
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Excerpts from a commentary in the July 30 Hartford Courant, titled "Public Sector Employees Contribute to the State’s Economy. They Shouldn’t be Vilified," which was written by Connecticut Coalition for Retirement Security campaign coordinator Alisha Blake.
"More often than not, public sector workers are bringing home less money than they could by doing similar work in the private sector, but not without good reason."
"Yet these workers are too often vilified for having the security that comes with a defined benefit retirement plan. It’s time to change the narrative that wealthy and corporate special interests are spinning about pensions."
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"It is important to remember that most opposition to public pensions is funded by billionaires like the Koch brothers, the Yankee Institute, and the Reason Foundation — groups who are looking to change state and municipal systems to further their own self-interested agendas. John Arnold, a former Enron energy trader who has become the chief funder of anti-pension activity across the nation, saw his own net worth soar to $3.3 billion by the end of this fiscal year and has spent nearly $50 million over the length of his career on his anti-pension crusade."
"Much of their research is biased, often inflating issues to scare lawmakers into making changes to pension systems. They claim that public employees are greedy and using their pensions to get rich, but the actual numbers show otherwise."
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Operating Engineer Members’ Strike Shuts Down 60 Michigan Road Projects
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Crain’s Detroit reports on July 31 that 200 heavy-machine operators went on strike this week over unfair labor practices, shutting down major road projects across Michigan.
"The workers are represented by Bloomfield-Hills based Operating Engineers 324 and work for Indiana-based Rieth-Riley Construction Co., one of the largest road pavers and asphalt suppliers in Michigan.
The labor dispute is tied to the four-week lockout that halted 160 road projects throughout the state last September. Operating Engineers 324 struck a deal with the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association to resume work. While nearly all of the 40 or so companies that participated in the lockout eventually signed new contracts with employees, Rieth-Riley did not.
The company’s 200 union employees in Michigan have been working without a contract since June 2018, according to a news release.
‘Rieth-Riley is definitely one of the largest road contractors in the state of Michigan,’ union spokesman Dan McKernan says. ‘The impact could grow larger by the hour. We’re talking about the middle of summer.’"
Related: Road Workers Strike, Could Delay Major Projects Statewide
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CT Corrections Workers Sickened By Possible Fentanyl Exposure
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| The Tribune News Service reports July 31 on six Connecticut corrections workers who fell ill after possibly being exposed to fentanyl. However, all six DOC employees who were taken to area hospitals tested negative for exposure to fentanyl and were released.
The cause of the illnesses was not immediately determined, and is part of the ongoing investigation into the matter by the Department of Correction and Connecticut State Police.
AFSCME Local 387’s president said the corrections officers and staffers were treated with Narcan, a medication used to block the effects of opioids, as a precaution when it was still believed that they had been exposed to fentanyl. |
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Need To Update Your Contact Information
With VSEA?
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August 6
Executive Branch Unit Bargaining Begins
The Center for Achievement in Public Service (CAPS)
Vermont College of Fine Arts
Schulmaier Hall
32 College Street
Montpelier
10:00 a.m.
August 6
Member Appreciation Day Event: Central VT
Wrightsville Beach
369 Route 12A
Middlesex
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
August 6
Chapter Annual Meeting: Central VT
Wrightsville Beach
369 Route 12A
Middlesex
5:00 p.m.
August 7
Judiciary Unit Bargaining Team
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
8:00 a.m.
August 8
Corrections Unit Bargaining Team
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
8:00 a.m.
August 8
Member Appreciation Day Event: Burlington
State Office Building
108 Cherry Street
Third Floor Conference Room
Burlington
11:00 a.m.
August 8
Chapter Annual Meeting: VPCH
VPCH
350 Fisher Road
Special Events Room
Berlin
3:00 p.m.
August 8
Chapter Annual Meeting: NEK / St. J
And District Office
374 Emerson Falls Road
Suite 4
St. Johnsbury
5:00 p.m.
August 10
Chapter Annual Meeting / Cookout: Franklin / GI
Kill Kare State Park
2714 Hathaway Point Rd.
St Albans City
11:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Note: Look for the Chapter banner! |
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| Thank you for reading Week In Action! |
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| VTPAC Silent Auction Needs Your Donations! |
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The VSEA members of the Vermont Political Awareness Committee (VTPAC), the group that helps make sure candidates that support your interests get elected to office, is looking for donations for a silent auction to be held the weekend of Annual Meeting.
Members willing to donate anything from homemade goods to services at the businesses of family or friends—or anything else that you think people would be interested in bidding on—should contact VTPAC Chair Kara Haynes at karahaynes802@gmail.com.
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| VSEA Legislative Committee & Staff’s End-Of-Session Report |
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| At the June VSEA Council meeting, VSEA Legislative Committee Chair Margaret Crowley and Legislative Specialist Tom Abdelnour shared a powerpoint presentation with the body that summarized the 2019 legislative session that ended in May.
VSEA members and retirees are invited to:
View Summary |
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| Steward Trainings Posted To Website |
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| VSEA Field Services Director Gretchen Naylor posted several PDF versions of the steward training presentations she is leading statewide. Note: Depending on your settings, each link below will open a PDF in your web browser or download the PDF to your computer or device.
The posted trainings include:
1) The Role of Stewards In Grievances
2) Steward Training – Providing Representation In An Investigation
3) Duty Of Fair Representation
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| Seeking Annual Meeting Award Nominations! |
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| It’s time again to submit your nominations for a 2019 VSEA Outstanding Performance Award in the categories below. To date, there have not been many nominations submitted, so VSEA is asking members and retirees to please take a few minutes today to make a nomination(s).
Click the buttons to make nominations online: |
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Outstanding VSEA Chapter:
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Outstanding VSEA Steward:
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Outstanding Service to VSEA:
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Outstanding Public Service:
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Outstanding VSEA Staff Member:
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| VSEA’s Awards and Scholarships Committee is urging members to give some thought to each of these awards and if you know of a deserving state employee—or a deserving Chapter—then please don’t hesitate to submit your nomination(s).
Winners will be announced at VSEA’s Annual Meeting in September. |
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| VSEA Board Reminds Members To Contact DHR If Over-Billed By Provider Due To Unpaid BlueCross BlueShield Claim |
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| VSEA’s Board of Trustees is reminding members who have been over-billed by a health care provider as a result of non-payment of a claim(s) by Blue Cross / Blue Shield to contact the Department of Human Resources.
DHR Benefits Division Contact Info
VSEA members were alerted to this issue and problem in a May 10 WIA story.
From that piece:
Members of VSEA’s Benefits Advisory Committee (BAC) recently met with Blue Cross/Blue Shield representatives and Department of Human Resources’ Benefits Division staff to inquire about numerous reports from VSEA members, retirees and staff that their claims were not being paid. The BAC requested the meeting and what they discovered is alarming.
According to Blue Cross, 6,302 claims for state employees and retirees have currently not been paid, totaling approximately $20 million. Of those, 2,330, totaling $10m, are 30-days past due. Blue Cross representatives blamed the delay on a new automated claims system the company installed in January 2019.
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Every VSEA member and retiree who is waiting on a claim–and those whose claims were paid incorrectly–is urged to contact the Department of Human Resources’ Benefits Division to demand that your claim(s) be paid and remind them that an unpaid claim can sometimes break a family financially. Simple request; do your job!
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Reminder:
State Employees Who Are Threatened On The Job Should File "eAlert" Form |
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| We are reminding members that there is an online form to fill out if you are threatened while at work.
Find The State’s “eAlert” Homepage Here
Important: Once you land on the eAlert page, you will see an entry labeled “threat” in the menu provided. Click on it and you land on a page with written instructions and fields to complete.
In November 2017, the current Secretary of the Administration sent the State’s “Workplace Safety and Security” policy to state employees, and VSEA members are encouraged to read through the different policies, examples and responses, prior to an actual event occurring. |
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VSEA Membership Drive 2019
Now Underway! |
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| Strength In Numbers!
A reminder that your union’s 2019 membership-recruitment drive is underway. Rewards for recruiting new members between now and September 1!
- 2 new members – Dunkin Donuts gift card;
- 5 new members – VSEA insulated coffee mug; or
- 10 new members – $50 VISA gift card!
Bonus! Recruit a new member and receive an entry in a drawing to win one of four $300 prizes to be awarded at VSEA’s 2019 Annual Meeting! Each new recruit earns you an additional entry! Just be sure to have your recruits add your name in the "Recruited By" line of the VSEA Membership Application.
More Membership Drive Information Here! |
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| Need a quick reference to help with your recruiting? You can view an informational webpage with some recruitment tips and advice here.
If you have any questions, or want a list of non-members in your area, please contact VSEA Director of Operations and Organizing Amy Kinsell by email: akinsell@vsea.org |
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| Told You’re Being Investigated? Watch This Video! |
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It is important that every VSEA member knows his or her rights when it comes to union representation in investigatory meetings. Union representation at these meetings is a cornerstone of the labor movement. Your right to representation—as outlined in your contract and, in some cases, labor law—can be complicated.
Please take a few minutes on a break to watch the video, and know that the information being relayed could very well save your job someday. Remember, as a VSEA member, you are entitled to no-cost representation in investigatory meetings that may lead to discipline. Non-members, however, must now pay a rate of $250 to $350 per-hour for the same level of representation!
More: Know Your Union Rights
Not currently a VSEA member?
You can sign up online.
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| What You Should Know About The Anti-Worker Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court Ruling |
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If you haven’t already, begin educating yourself today about what the Janus decision means—or supplement what you know already. Please also inform your co-workers about this Janus page and talk with them about what you learned and remind them of the importance of a union in their everyday life. You could make a difference. Every study shows that nothing is more effective than member-to-member communication.
Learn More On VSEA.org
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| Getting Ready To Retire? Retired Already? Join The VSEA Retired Members’ Chapter! |
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Long-time VSEA activist and leader Terry Lefebvre asked Council members getting ready to retire to join the VSEA Retirees’ Chapter to continue to be an active and engaged union member, even in retirement. Lefebvre also appealed to Council members to talk up the Chapter to co-workers they know who might be preparing to retire.
With a possible fight looming on retirement security, Lefebvre stressed the importance to build the Chapter to be able to mobilize large numbers of past state workers to protect and defend the benefits they bargained to win over decades.
If you already belong to the Retired Members’ Chapter, a big thanks to you.
Learn More Here About The VSEA Retired Members’ Chapter |
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| What is the VSEA Advantage Program? |
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Did you know?
The average VSEA member can save hundreds of dollars a year by taking advantage of some of the Members Only benefits offered through their union!
GET EXCLUSIVE OFFERS, DISCOUNTS & MORE
It’s free, just for being a Vermont State Employees’ Association PerksConnect member!
Learn More!
Questions? Feel free to email
vsea@ vsea.org |
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