|
|
|
|
Today Is The Actual Deadline For NMU Members To Vote In Online Unit Chair Election!
|
|
| WIA is apologizing for erroneously reporting last week that this ballot was due Friday, November 30. It wasn’t. Completed Non-Management Unit Chair ballots are actually due back by close of business today, Friday, December 7.
Very important! Your electronic ballot was sent to the primary email address that VSEA currently has on file for you.If you did not receive an email from vote@simplyvoting.com on November 23, please look in your “Other” or “Spam” folders before contacting headquarters to request that your ballot be reissued. |
|
VSEA "Protect Your Pension" Tour Continues!
|
|
|
VSEA’s "Protect Your Pension" educational tour stopped this week in Morrisville (pictured here), Montpelier and St. Johnsbury.
|
|
|
VSEA’s tour to educate members statewide about the need to protect your existing defined-benefit pension plan by stopping any proposal to move new hires to state government into a "defined-contribution" pension plan (401K) continued this week.
Moving new hires into 401Ks means they are no longer contributing to the existing pension fund, and that’s a serious problem. It’s also bad for the new hire, as they would be at the mercy of Wall Street’s ups and downs to ensure future retirement security.
Please attend an upcoming meeting in your area to learn about the importance of this fight, its outcome and, most important, your role in it.
Upcoming "Protect Your Pension" Meetings:
December 12
Noon
Middlebury
State Office Building
156 South Village Green
Conference Room
December 13
Noon
Rutland,
Asa Bloomer Building
88 Merchant’s Row
Conference Room 266
December 18
11:45 a.m.
St. Albans
State Office Building
First Floor Conference Room
December 19
Noon
Newport
Emory Hebard State Office Building,
100 Main St.
Conference Room 250 |
|
State Wants To Hear What You Think Needs To Be Prioritized In The Budget
|
|
|
It’s not the most welcoming language you’ll ever read on a State agency or department’s website public-survey page, reading "Per 32 V.S.A. § 306(d) the Governor is required to develop a process for public participation in the development of goals and a general prioritization of spending and revenue initiatives as part of the development of the state’s budget," but so be it.
In addition to an online survey, the State’s budget input page contains a presentation about the budget and the budgeting process, as well as an online "Public Comment" form, where you can submit written input to supplement your survey answers.
This is a good forum for VSEA members to semi-directly engage in the state budgeting process, and share your expertise about need, places to save or bloat within the state government.
If you do send input to the State and are willing to share what you sent with VSEA, then please do. Your union and its legislative team will then be able to digest your idea(s) and possibly share your input with lawmakers as well (anonymously, if desired).
Send your input to: vsea@vsea.org. Subject line: State Budget
Thanks in advance for your help!
|
|
VTrans Workers Meeting In Advance Of Barre Move
|
|
VSEA is holding a meeting on December 13 with VTrans workers currently housed at National Life in Montpelier to discuss an upcoming move to new space inside Barre City Place. Workers are invited to attend to share your questions and concerns about the move with VSEA Organizer Carmen Scoles.
To talk with Carmen in advance of the meeting, please email her at: cscoles@vsea.org |
|
Brattleboro Chapter Fundraiser Is Tomorrow!
|
|
| If you happen to be traveling on I-91 tomorrow, Saturday, December 8, pull off for a break at the North Mile Marker 5.4,Rest Area and visit with members of VSEA’s Brattleboro Chapter, who are holding a fundraiser on the premises.
Brattleboro Chapter
Saturday, December 8
7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
I-91Rest Area
North Mile Marker 5.4
Guilford
Food / bake sale to raise funds for Brattleboro Chapter. Need baked goods and other food, as well as volunteers.
Questions: Contact Brattleboro Chapter President Robin Rieske:
robin.rieske@vermont.gov |
|
Enroll Today In VSEA Member-Only Supplemental Dental Plan!
|
|
|
One key benefit of VSEA membership is access to a supplemental dental plan that has been helping VSEA families bring down the costs of expensive dental procedures for nearly a decade now. The program is so popular that VSEA is now offering a second chance in 2018 (usually just once a year, in the spring) for members to enroll in the program, which is a unique benefit for state employees represented by VSEA.
VSEA sent an all-member email this week about the new enrollment period. If you don’t recall receiving the email, you can learn more about the the plan here.
The supplemental program is offered as an enhancement to state employees’ State-administered dental insurance benefit.
|
|
VSEA Announces 2019 Steward Training Schedule
|
|
|
VSEA Stewards are urged to mark the date of the 2019 Steward training nearest you.
* designates a Unit-specific training
Saturday, January 12
8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Double Tree by Hilton Hotel
870 Williston Road
South Burlington
*Friday, February 15
8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Judiciary Steward Training
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
*Friday, March 15
8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
VT State Colleges’ Steward Training
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
Friday, April 26
8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn
476 Holiday Drive
Rutland
Saturday, July 20
8:30 – 3:00 p.m.
TBD
St. Johnsbury
Thursday, October 17
8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Vermont Veterans’ Home
325 North Street
Crispe Room
Bennington
|
|
New Mental Health Commissioner Appointed
|
|
| The State announced the appointment on Thursday of Sarah Squirrell to be the next Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental Health. Squirrell will take over on January 1, 2019.
“I want to thank Governor Scott and Secretary Gobeille for the opportunity serve the Department of Mental Health,” said Squirrell in a statement. “When our children, family, friends and neighbors need mental health care they need access to a high-quality continuum of care that includes promotion, prevention, treatment and recovery. I look forward to working side by side with Deputy Commissioner, Mourning Fox and our state and community partners to advance solutions to improve our mental health system of care, and to always keep the needs of those we serve and their families at the center of our work,” Squirrell added.
|
|
Quote Of The Week!
“This lawsuit is part of a nationally coordinated strategy by powerful forces aiming to destroy collective bargaining. It is a direct attack on our shared values and collective voice.”
St. Cloud University (Minn.) Inter Faculty Organization (IFO) President Brent Jeffers, commenting on a lawsuit filed by one of his professors that has made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court and could be worse than Janus. The lawsuit seeks to prohibit forced public sector union representation.
|
|
|
Help A Fellow State Employee By Donating Some Time To Your Unit’s Sick Leave Bank!
Donation Period Ends December 31!
|
|
| VSEA member Dawn Carrillo is reminding Non-Management Unit members that your Unit’s Sick Leave Bank is currently accepting annual and personal leave time donations to the bank and that the deadline to do so is December 31, 2018. Carillo reminds that donations to the Corrections and Supervisory Unit Banks are also needed.
“Just donating an hour of your time can mean the world to a fellow employee,” reads a DHR flyer. It also informs state employees that they can donate any amount of annual- or personal-leave timeto their respective Unit sick leave bank. “Know that you are performing a wonderful service by helping your friends and fellow employees, who, along with their families, are struggling due to serious health issues,” the flyer concludes.
VSEA members interested in donating some much-needed time to the NMU, Corrections and Supervisory Sick Leave Banks can find a donation form here.
"Big thanks to every member for considering a donation to your Unit sick leave bank,” says VSEA President Dave Bellini. “Even if you only donate one hour to the bank, these one-hour donations add up. It’s so worthwhile because your donation is going to help a fellow state employee who is battling a serious illness.” |
|
Guaranteed Issue Term and Whole Life Insurance for VSEA Members!
|
|
| WIA was asked by VSEA Benefits Administrator, Joanne Woodcock, to include the following in this week’s newsletter: |
|
| Aflac life insurance helps take care of your loved ones* immediate and future needs if you should pass away. Immediate needs can include burial/funeral expenses, uninsured medical costs and current bills and debts. Future needs could include income replacement, education plans, ongoing family obligations, emergency funds, and retirement expenses.
Aflac is insurance for daily living. It’s never easy to think about life insurance, but it can mean that your family will have added financial resources to help with ongoing living expenses. Aflac life insurance is designed to provide you and your beneficiary(ies) with cash benefits. The following options are available and can help provide peace of mind during a very difficult time.
Apply Today – No health questions asked. Ask your VSEA Insurance Benefits Advisor how an Aflac life policy can help you and your family.
Joanne Woodcock
VSEA Insurance Benefits
888-510-4467 (call me toll free)
Joanne@vseainsurance.com
Learn More Here |
|
* Certain face amounts may not be available. Underwriting requirements apply. ** Subject to certain conditions and payment of claims is subject to all policy limitations and exclusions and pre-existing conditions.
This is a brief product overview for illustrative purposes only. Benefits and/or premiums may vary based on the state and benefit option selected. Riders may be available for an additional premium. Policies described herein have limitations and exclusions that may affect benefits payable. For costs and complete details of the coverage, contact your Aflac insurance agent/producer. Individual coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.
WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, GA 31999 | aflac.com |
|
Bolton Valley Again Offering “Industry Rate” To VSEA Members On 2018-19
All-Access Season Passes
|
|
|
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.
|
|
| Pass Type: Pre-April 2 Price/Post-April 2 Price
Adult (18+): $379 / $429
Youth w/Adult (7-17): $159 / $179
Youth (7-17): $199 / $239
Senior (65-74): $229 / $239
Child (6 and under): $29 / $29
Ski Bum (18-25): $179 / $279 |
|
| VSEA Meetings/ Trainings/ Events: |
|
|
Upcoming VSEA Organizer Worksite Meetings
|
|
Upcoming VSEA Chapter Meeting
|
|
Article Details The American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Plan To Obliterate Labor
|
|
|
The website Governing posted a disturbing story this week about a recent conference conducted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC); a notoriously anti-union group that wants to completely dismantle organized labor in the coming months and years.
The group’s first blow came earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unfavorably to unions in the Janus case, and now ALEC is filing new and more harmful lawsuits–ones that must be stopped.
From the Governing story:
ALEC’s “Public Employee Rights and Authorization Act,” for instance, would codify the Janus decision at the state level, establishing a “right to work” for public employees and declaring that these employees have to give “affirmative consent” for their union to collect payments from them. More than half the states already have similar laws.
Under the “Union Recertification Act,” what ALEC calls “worker voting rights,” workers in unions would have to vote every couple of years on whether they want to continue with their current union representation. Typically, there is no such opportunity for public employees, unless they go through a very involved and rare “decertification” process. Similar laws have already passed in Florida, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, according to F. Vincent Vernuccio, a senior fellow at the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
Then there are “workers’ choice” bills, the “Public Employee Choice Act” and the “Comprehensive Public Employee Freedom Act,” which would allow government workers to opt out of union representation and represent themselves in negotiations with their employer. These type of bills have yet to be passed anywhere, though they’ve been introduced in states like Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Pennsylvania, says Vernuccio.
Other ALEC bills would increase transparency in union spending and ban “release time,” in which a public employee draws a public salary while working on union recruiting and representation activities.
Note: VSEA members can hopefully work with the newly elected super majority to pass legislation at the state level to thwart some of these obscene measures, if they gain traction. Get ready.
|
|
Labor Notes Hosting December 17 Q&A With Union Activists In Some Of 2018’s Biggest Fights
|
|
|
From a Labor Notes promotional post this week:
"Labor might be on the ropes, but it still knows how to throw a punch. 2018 saw thousands of teachers, campus workers, and hotel workers hit the streets in support of bold demands. What does it take to strike and win in the new Gilded Age?
Join Labor Notes Assistant Editor Dan DiMaggio on Monday, December 17, at 9:00 p.m. EST for a video conference call with activists on the front lines of some of 2018’s biggest labor fights.
This event is free and open to the public. Participants can join by phone or computer. Space is limited. You must register to participate in this call.
|
|
Marriott Housekeepers Prevail After Nine-Week Strike
|
|
Marriott workers in cities across the nation, including Boston; Detroit; four California cities—San Jose, Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco; and Honolulu and Lahaina, in Hawaii, have been striking for social and economic justice for nine weeks and this week they won.
From a New York Times story:
A new contract with Marriott International that will give housekeepers in San Francisco an eventual $4-an-hour increase and better protections against sexual harassment was approved Monday, ending a nine-week strike by 2,500 workers at seven hotels in that city.
The settlement in San Francisco concludes a nationwide walkout against the world’s largest hotel chain. At its peak, the protest involved 7,700 workers at 23 hotels.
“It means so much to me,” said Larrilou Carumba, a single mother of three who had been earning $23.50 an hour after six years as a housekeeper at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. “I can go back to work,” she said, without worrying “about where I will get money for my kids, and my health benefits.” |
|
|
|
| VSEA Meetings/ Trainings/ Events / Fundraisers: |
|
| Upcoming VSEA Organizer Worksite Meetings
|
|
| Upcoming VSEA Chapter Meeting
|
|
|
December 7
NMU Chair Ballots Due!
December 8
Brattleboro Chapter Fundraiser
I-91Rest Area
North Mile Marker 5.4
Guilford
7:00 a.m.
December 11
VSEA Council Meeting
Old Labor Hall
46 Granite Street
Barre
9:00 a.m.
December 12
Organizer’s Meeting: Barre
McFarland State Office Building
5 Perry Street
Barre
11:00 a.m.
December 12
Retirement
Education Meeting
Middlebury
State Office Building
156 South Village Green
Conference Room
Middlebury
12:00 p.m.
December 13
Child & Elder Care Committee Meeting
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
9:00 a.m.
December 13
Organizer’s Meeting: Montpelier
National Life
Davis Building
1 National Life Dr.
Montpelier
11:30 a.m.
December 13
Retirement Education Meeting
Rutland
Asa Bloomer State Office Building
88 Merchants Row
Conference Room 266
Rutland
12:00 p.m.
December 13
Benefits Advisory Committee Meeting
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
1:00 p.m.
December 14
Franklin / Grand Isle Chapter Meeting
14th Star Brewing Co.
133 Main Street, #7
St. Albans
5:00 p.m.
|
|
|
| Complete Summary Of Changes Made To NMU, Corrections & Supervisory Units’ Contract |
|
|
| To view the comprehensive overview of all the changes made to the contracts covering VSEA members in the Non-Management, Corrections and Supervisory Units, please click here (PDF).
Note: Members with specific questions about the new contract should contact a Steward or a Union Representative. |
|
New Contract Printing
Can Move Forward Now |
|
|
| To date, the contract the VLRB ruled in favor of has not been printed or posted because, as many VSEA members and retirees know, VSEA and the State just completed VLRB-requested mediation. But now that mediation has concluded, and an agreement has been reached and the VLRB has approved it, it should pave the way for the new contracts to be printed and posted soon.
In the interim, members with specific questions about the new contract should contact a Steward or a Union Representative. |
|
| What You Should Know About The Anti-Worker Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court Ruling |
|
|
Thanks in advance for visiting VSEA’s Janus webpage to ensure you are an informed union member.
|
|
| What is the VSEA Advantage Program? |
|
|
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 |
|
|
Need To Update Your Contact Information
With VSEA?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subscribe To VSEA Today!
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.
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 is working hard to collect members’ contact information.
You can help us 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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
