State Not Yet Saying How $5 Million Savings Will Be Achieved

Needless to say, VSEA members have reason to be a little nervous when there’s talk of budget cuts, but the State says the savings will not result in “cutting programs used by Vermonters.” The State is also promoting its dialogue with frontline workers about savings, saying, “[Workers have] come up with some great ideas on how we can make Vermont more efficient in their own agencies and departments. They’re very excited about that.”

VSEA would be interested in hearing from a few of the frontline workers who have been involved in the savings discussions the State references in the article. If you participated in one of these discussions, please contact VSEA and let your union know what ideas are being talked about and what is the impact to your service. Send an email to vsea@vsea.org and write “$5 Million Ideas” in the subject line. Your email to VSEA will be kept confidential, as will your identity. Thanks in advance.

September 4 Is Deadline To Vote In VSEA Officer Election!

VSEA hopes you received you ballot and have taken some time to vote in this important officer election. Thanks to your union’s new online ballot system, VSEA is already seeing a rise in the number of members who are participating in the process

If you did not receive a ballot in your inbox, please check that it did not end up in your spam filter. If you have checked your spam filter and still cannot find your ballot, please email vsea@vsea.org with the subject line "Ballot."

Non-Management Unit Members Urged To Vote On Proposal

Thanks in advance for your attention to this important email.

If you belong to the VSEA Non-Management Bargaining Unit and did not receive your poll question email in your inbox, please check that it did not end up in your spam filter. If you have checked your spam filter and still cannot find your poll question email, please email vsea@vsea.org with the subject line "NMU Poll Question."

VSEA Legislative Committee Surveying “Group C” Retirement Plan Members

VSEA’s Legislative Committee is thanking Group C members in advance for completing this important survey.

August 30 Is Deadline To Participate In Membership Recruitment Committee’s Engagement and Recruitment Initiative

To participate, the Committee asks members to talk with current agency-fee payers about the benefits of full-fledged membership and why the member should make the switch. If the member decides to upgrade their membership, the recruiting member will have the satisfaction of knowing they helped their union become stronger.

Here are the guidelines to participate and be eligible for a prize:

• Whether submitting your recruited member(s) name(s)on a physical recruitment card or online, you must include your name as the recruiter;
• Every member who recruits a new member will has his or her name entered into a drawing for the Grand Prize. The winner’s name will be drawn at VSEA’s Annual Meeting in September 2017, and the winner must be present to claim the prize;
• Team entries are being accepted. Please register with Membership Recruitment Committee Chair Katelyn Gauthier by emailing her at kgauthier@vsea.org.
• Members who recruit a new member, who then agrees to join your union’s political awareness committee (VTPAC) will receive an additional chance to win the Grand Prize, and
• The cut-off date for this competition is August 30, 2017.

Here are the different prize levels:

• $10 gift card and a VSEA water bottle (75 prizes awarded)
• $25 gift card and a VSEA hat
  (40 prizes awarded)
• $50 gift card and a VSEA tote bag
  (15 prizes awarded)
• $100 and a VSEA vest
  (8 prizes awarded)
• 1 Grand Prize of $1200

VSEA Members Tell It Best…

On Thursday, VSEA’s team was at the Vermont Air National Guard Base in South Burlington to sit down and talk with VSEA members Ed Thomas (left) and Barry Nye (right), who provide security at the Base and have nearly 60 years of combined service to Vermont between them. We’ll be sharing some of their interviews with members in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. These guys had some powerful advice for any VSEA members questioning the need for unions in this day and age, and they don’t mince words.

Interviews will be posted on VSEA’s Facebook page and website.

VSEA Discontinuing VSEAUnite App

“We tried this for a few years, but it never seemed to catch fire, and much of the information found on the App can be found just as easily at vsea.org,” explains VSEA Communications Director Doug Gibson. “One of the primary reasons for creating the App was to be able to send timely text messages to a targeted audience, but now that VSEA has other programs in house that can perform this service, the App seemed like overkill.”

Gibson is reminding VSEA members to make sure their contact information is up to date with VSEA so when important text messages are sent from headquarters, you are receiving them.

Sign Up For VSEA Text-Message Updates

Annual Meeting Walk Ins Welcome!

The deadline to register to attend VSEA’s 73rd Annual Meeting was August 22. But if you failed to make the deadline, you are still welcome to walk in to Annual Meeting on September 9 to attend the meeting portion, provided you are a member in good standing, meaning a full dues-paying VSEA member.

Be advised that if you walk in to the meeting on Saturday, September 9, VSEA will be unable to provide you with a meal at the Annual Meeting luncheon, as food had to be pre-ordered.

Upcoming Chapter Annual Meetings!

Brattleboro Chapter:

August 28

The VSEA Brattleboro Chapter is holding its Annual Meeting on Monday, August 28, at Top of the Hill Bar-b-Que on Putney Road in Brattleboro, beginning at 4:45 p.m. Chapter President Robin Rieske is asking members who want to eat while at the meeting to contact her by Monday, 3:00 p.m., with your meal order, up to $10 (see menu here). Beverages being provided.

Upcoming Member Appreciation Day Events!

Brattleboro Chapter:

August 28

A Member Appreciation Day event is being held Monday, August 28, at the State Office Building in Brattleboro, located at 232 Main Street, beginning at 12:00 p.m. There will be free ice cream for all who attend!

Northern State
Correctional Facility:

August 31

A Member Appreciation Day event is being held Thursday, August 31, at the Northern State Correctional Facility, located at 2559 Glen Road in Newport, beginning at 7:00 a.m.

Barre Chapter Offering To Help Members With Annual Meeting Costs

If you have any questions please feel free to contact the VSEA Barre Chapter President Sue LaFleche via email: suzanne.lafleche@ vermont.gov

VSEA Past President Shelley Martin Reminds About August 28 Price Increase On Senior National Park Passes

The website announcing the price change is warning that the USGS is “experiencing a major increase in Senior pass sales” and includes the following:

“All eligible Senior pass orders placed online before 11:59 pm eastern daylight time on August 27 or mail orders postmarked on or before August 27 will be processed at the $10 price. Lifetime Senior pass orders placed online after 11:59 pm on August 27 eastern daylight time or mail orders postmarked after August 27 will be processed at the $80 price. Additional processing fees of $10 apply. For more information on the price changes,
click here.”

VSEA Advantage Discount Program 2017 Ski Offers Begin

To begin, the VSEA Advantage Discount Program is pleased to welcome back this popular long-time program participant:

Bolton Valley

Bolton Valley is offering discounted 2017-18 Bolton Valley Access Season Passes for VSEA members, but you must obtain a “Promo Code” from headquarters to purchase one or more.

For the Promo Code, please call or email Susan DeVoid at sdevoid@vsea.org or call 802-223-5247.

Bolton Valley All-Access Season Pass Includes:

• Unlimited alpine skiing and riding;
• 100km of Nordic and backcountry skiing;
• A 20% discount on rentals, retail shop purchases, group ski and ride lessons, and lodging (includes condos, suites, or hotel rooms); and
• Sports Center membership, including access to an indoor heated pool, hot tub, and sauna

Some restrictions apply. See website for complete details.

Next Up: Sugarbush (with a tight deadline!)

New Report Details Why Unions Still Matter!

VSEA members are urged to study and save this report, as well as share it with your colleagues.

Remember, there is a reason corporate America wants to severely restrict or even abolish labor unions, and it has nothing to do with looking out for the best interests of working Americans, but plenty to do with taking care of CEOs and shareholders.

Here are some of the key findings from
the report:

• Unions raise wages for union and nonunion workers alike. Union workers typically earn about 13 percent more in wages than peers with similar credentials, and the decline in unionization since 1979 depressed wages for nonunion men in the private sector by 5 percent in 2013;
• Unions help raise the wages of women and black and Hispanic workers —whose wages have historically lagged behind those of white men— by establishing pay ‘transparency’ (workers know what other workers are making), correcting salary discrepancies, establishing clearer terms for internal processes such as raises and promotions, and helping workers who have been discriminated against achieve equity;
• Unions protect worker health. There are fewer injuries and fatalities in unionized mines and fewer health and safety violations on unionized construction sites. In recent years, unions have helped nurses secure protection from violence in the workplace, helped laborers avoid exposure to disease-causing silica dust, and helped firefighters receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder;
• Unions help workers obtain better health, retirement, and leave benefits. For example, more than 90 percent of workers covered by a union contract have employer-sponsored health-care benefits, while under 70 percent of nonunion workers do. The employer contribution to unionized workers’ benefits is 77 percent higher than the employer contribution for otherwise similar nonunion workers; and
• Unions help workers share ideas about how to improve workplaces without fear of retaliation. Unions have played an important role in developing professional development systems for teachers and training programs for manufacturing workers, for example.

Most Working Americans Living Paycheck To Paycheck

From the story:

“While 46 percent said their debt is manageable, 56 percent said they were in over their heads. About 56 percent also save $100 or less each month, according to CareerBuilder. The job-hunting site polled over 2,000 hiring and human resource managers and more than 3,000 full-time employees between May and June.

Most financial experts recommend stashing at least a six-month cushion in an emergency fund to cover anything from a dental bill to a car repair — and more if you are the sole breadwinner in your family or in business for yourself.
While household income has grown over the past decade, it has failed to keep up with the increased cost-of-living over the same period.
Even those making over six figures said they struggle to make ends meet, the report said. Nearly 1 in 10 of those making $100,000 or more said they usually or always live paycheck to paycheck, and 59 percent of those in that salary range said they were in the red.”

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.