December 12
Vermont AFL-CIO Emergency Community Discussion
Christ Episcopal Church
64 State St.
Montpelier, VT
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. > Register For Event Here
December 13
Franklin/Grand Isle Chapter Meeting
Mimmo’s Restaurant
Main Street
St. Albans
5:00 p.m.
December 13
Steward Training 2: Protecting The Contract
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
9:00 a.m.
December 13
Child & Elder Care Committee Meeting
VSEA HQ
Montpelier
9:30 a.m.
Vermont Labor Coming Together To Strategize About Election Outcome
The Vermont AFL-CIO’s Traven Leyshon announced this week that the labor group is hosting an "emergency community discussion" on December 12 in Montpelier to talk about the recent election’s potential impact on working people, the labor movement, the poor and middle class and all other groups who could be adversely impacted.
Members of labor unions, social and economic justice groups and community-based organizations are invited to attend and participate in developing a group strategy to combat any and all of the threats. The meeting will be "fish bowl" style, meaning a panel of group representatives will be ensuring their members’ voices are included in the discussion.
Vermont AFL-CIO Emergency Community Discussion
Monday, December 12
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Christ Episcopal Church*
64 State St.
Montpelier, VT > Register For Event Here
*Please note that the original venue was too small to accommodate the anticipated crowd, so the event has been moved to the Christ Episcopal Church.
VSEA Brattleboro Chapter Collecting Food To
"Feed The Thousands"
VSEA’s Brattleboro Chapter President Robin Rieske wrote to Chapter members this week to solicit their participation in southeastern Vermont’s largest annual food drive "Feed the Thousands”. In the spirit of the holiday season, Rieske is urging Chapter members to donate what they can to the effort.
Suggested Items To Donate:
Brown Rice
Canned Fruits & Vegetables
Canned Tuna & Chicken
Cereals & Other Non-Perishables
Diapers & Formula
Dried Fruit
Low-Sodium Soups
Pasta/Sauce
Peanut Butter
Personal Care Items
Whole Grain Crackers
Brattleboro Chapter Collection Sites:
State Office Building, 232 Main Street — First Floor Conference Room Hallway; and
AOT Garage — U.S. Route 5, Dummerston
Collection Ends Tuesday, December 20, which is the same day as the VSEA Brattleboro Chapter’s Annual Lunchtime Holiday Meeting, noon to 12:45 p.m. in Room 148 at the State Office Building. Stop by with your donation!
Board Approves Sending VSEA Delegation To Washington For The “Women’s March On Washington”
The VSEA Board of Trustees voted this week to allocate $5,000 to fund a small delegation of VSEA members traveling to our nation’s capital for the “Women’s March on Washington,” which is being held January 21, 2017. Organizers are billing the march as a “way to stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health and our families – recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.”
“I was proud to support this allocation to send a few VSEA women to DC to march in solidarity with hundreds of thousands of other women who will be welcoming the new Congress with a vocal reminder that women’s rights are human rights,” explains VSEA Board member Katelyn Chase. “VSEA members who attend will be supporting that message and adding to it that workers’ rights are also human rights. I’m inviting any VSEA member—woman or man—who is interested in going to DC to march to contact me as soon as possible.”
If you would be interested in traveling with Katelyn to Washington, D.C. in January for the march, please send an email to kchase@vsea.org. Once Katelyn can gauge the level of interest, she will be better able to allocate the funds awarded, so please respond to her by Monday, December 2, 2016.
Important Note: If you have questions or concerns about this allocation of funds, please send your thoughts directly to your VSEA Board of Trustees representative(s). Posting on VSEA’s Facebook page does not guarantee your concerns and questions will be heard and seen by the appropriate parties.
Vacancy Exists On Child & Elder Care Committee
The labor seat on the Child & Elder Care Committee (C&EC) is currently vacant. The seat has been held for a long time by VSEA retiree Dave Clark, who is now stepping into the role C&EC committee administrator.
The C & EC is a statewide labor management committee formed under collective bargaining agreements between the State of Vermont and the VSEA and the Vermont Troopers’ Association. The committee is comprised of members from the VSEA, the Vermont Troopers’ Association and the State of Vermont. Its mission is to monitor existing child and elder care programs, recommend expenditure of funds committed to it under the CBA’s, and investigate other options for providing child care and elder care services to all State employees.
If you would like to be considered for the labor seat on this important committee, please send an email to vsea@vsea.org and write “C&EC Committee Interest” in the subject line.
values and ideals, as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
VSEA Membership Recruitment Committee Launching New Recruitment Effort
The VSEA Membership Recruitment Committee is launching a 2016/2017 “Membership Engagement and Recruitment Initiative” to grow the union’s ranks, asking members to talk with current agency-fee payers about the benefits of full-fledged membership and why s/he should make the switch. If they decide to upgrade their membership, the recruiting member will have the satisfaction of knowing they helped their union become stronger, but, in addition, the Membership Recruitment Committee will be awarding different levels of prizes to members, based on the number of new VSEA members recruited.
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 Chase by emailing her at kchase@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 fleece vest (8 prizes awarded)
1 Grand Prize – $1,200
Note: WIA will periodically remind members about this effort until its culmination in August 2017.
Now Is The Time To Donate To The NMU, Corrections & Supervisory Unit Sick Leave Bank
VSEA member Dawn Carrillo staffs the Non-Management Unit Sick Leave Bank, and she asked WIA to remind not only NMU members but also Corrections and Supervisory Unit members that you can donate a few hours to your Unit’s sick leave bank from now until December 31.
“Just donating an hour of your time can mean the world to a fellow employee,” reads a flyer DHR is circulating. It also informs state employees that they can donate any amount of time to the NMU, Corrections and Supervisory Sick Leave Banks. “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.
“I want to thank 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.”
VSEA Strategic Analyst’s "Right To Work (For Less)" Presentation Now Available Online
VSEA Strategic Analyst Adam Norton’s presentation on everything wrong with America’s so-called “Right-to-Work” movement was so well received at VSEA’s Annual Meeting that Norton is now fulfilling requests to give the presentation to Chapters.
Norton’s “Right To Work (For Less)” presentation is a must-view for all state employees who are concerned about the move across America to bust unions and hasten the race to the bottom for workers. Please share this presentation with interested colleagues.
VSEA President Dave Bellini is asking all state employees who are threatened while performing your job duties to provide an account of the threat not only to your supervisor or the State, but also to VSEA.
“VSEA wants to begin to compile its own record of threats against frontline state employees, no matter your occupation,” explains Bellini. “I’m asking all employees who are threatened, especially those working in AHS, to take a few minutes to fill out an online form VSEA made to collect your report. The information will help us provide a firsthand account of the number of threats being made and where they are being made, in addition to some other things.”
Sawyer Hamilton and his grandmother, VSEA member and Vet’s Home employee Dawn Keus (pictured above), were just two of the more than 75 members who stopped by the VSEA Bennington Chapter’s successful December 3 Employee Appreciation Day event at the Vermont Veterans’ Home. The Chapter also invited Mr. and Mrs. Claus to attend, and they did, making some time for young ones to share their list wish.
Next Week’s Holiday Text Message From VSEA Is Dual Purpose
VSEA President Dave Bellini will be sending a short holiday text message next week to VSEA members who currently have a cell phone number on file with the union. President Bellini’s message is intended not only to wish you and yours the best this holiday season but also to test a new text-messaging option VSEA would like to begin using soon to alert interested members to contract and legislative fights and other urgent issues affecting your job and your rights.
If you do not receive President Bellini’s holiday message next week, it means VSEA either has no cell phone contact for you, or we have a bad number. If you want to receive future texts from your union, this needs to be rectified. Please contact VSEA headquarters directly (802-223-5247) or email your number to vsea@vsea.org. Please write “Texts” in the subject line.
If you do not receive the text from VSEA, you simply do nothing. If you did receive the text, but prefer not to receive future texts, you can contact VSEA headquarters directly (802-223-5247) or by email (vsea@vsea.org) and the union can note on your file that you are “opting out” of receiving texts. If emailing, please write “No Texts” in the subject line.
VSEA appreciates members’ attention to this message.
Not wasting any time following the recent ratification of a new, two-year contract with the State of Vermont, a newly reconstituted Non-Management Unit (NMU) Bargaining Team has already prepared a new bargaining proposal survey for NMU members to complete and submit. The goal of this year’s survey is to assess NMU members’ bargaining priorities before entering into the next round of formal negotiations with the State. The NMU’s survey will be comprehensive, covering everything from wages to benefits to working conditions.
VSEA Members Invited To Participate In Special Legislative Training
VSEA Labor Educator Tim Lenoch has been working with VSEA’s legislative team to create a new training to educate VSEA members about how statutes, policies and Vermont’s legislative process can impact state employees’ working conditions—and sometimes even, their livelihoods.
This comprehensive training will be offered at five different locations throughout the state, including:
Montpelier: Tuesday January 3 – TBD
Bennington: Wednesday March 8 – Hampton Inn Bennington, 51 Hannaford Square
Springfield: Wednesday March 8 – Holiday Inn Express, 818 Charlestown Rd.
Burlington: Thursday March 9 – Zampieri Building, 108 Cherry St.
All trainings begin at 9:30 a.m., and they are open to all VSEA members, but only members in the following VSEA leadership roles are eligible for paid leave time to attend training:
VSEA Council Members;
VSEA Stewards;
VSEA Chapter Officers
VSEA Board of Trustee Members;
VSEA Standing Committees Members;
VSEA Unit Executive Committee Members;
VSEA Bargaining Team Members; and
VSEA Labor/Management Committee Members.
Please review your Collective Bargaining Agreement’s “VSEA Rights” section for specific language about paid leave time. Find your contract here.
Important! You must request time off to attend this training at least two weeks prior to your desired date.
Franklin/Grand Isle Chapter Meeting Is Tuesday, December 12
VSEA’s Franklin/Grand Isle Chapter is holding a Chapter meeting on Tuesday, December 13, at Mimmo’s Restaurant on Main Street in St. Albans. The meeting begins at 5:00 p.m., and items on the agenda include updates, a discussion about the the film “Wisconsin Rising,” future meeting dates, and new and old business. Food and beverages will be provided.
Questions? Please contact Chapter President Michael Gordon by email at vt_chevman@yahoo.com.
The VSEA Council will meet on Thursday, December 15, at the Old Labor Hall in Barre, beginning at 9:00 a.m. VSEA First Vice President Aimee Towne has filled the day with important updates and educational training, as well time devoted to completing standard Council meeting business. She is also advising Council members to dress warmly because the space has been known to lean to the cooler side.
Council members are reminded to bring non-perishable food items with you to donate to those in need.
New contracts are beginning to arrive in the mailboxes of VSEA members belonging to the Non-Management, Supervisory, Corrections and Defender General Units.
A reminder that if you do not receive a copy of your contract by Christmas, please contact VSEA by email at vsea@vsea.org to let us know. It could be VSEA does not have an updated home mailing address for you, and we can update your information and mail you your contract.
VSEA is always striving to do what it can to improve members’ lives, both professional and personal. To that end, a few years back, VSEA began offering members a supplemental dental plan option that proved to be very popular, so the VSEA Board recently directed staff to begin looking for other similar benefits that might be available to members. VSEA Operations Director Ray Stout did his research, and he discovered a terrific supplemental vision program that VSEA will begin offering to members early in 2017.
“VSEA will be rolling out this new member benefit in February 2017, and we’re hoping it will help a lot of members reduce their current eye-care costs,” says Stout. “VSEA members will still have their contractual vision benefit, but they will now have the option to supplement that benefit, just like with the dental program.”
Stout adds that there will be a nominal charge to members for the eye-care option, just as there is for the dental option.
UVM Medical Center Support Staff Launch Organizing Campaign
VTDigger reports today that hundreds of support staff working at the University of Vermont’s Medical Center are launching an organizing drive to join the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals; the union that already represents the hospital’s registered nurses.
According to the story, “the workers are seeking to have the hospital hire more LNAs and mental health technicians to reduce their workloads, to pay a base wage of $15 per hour, to pay incentives when they are called in at the last minute, and to set a maximum number of patients they should be responsible for every shift.”
Note: VSEA sends solidarity and best wishes to the UVM workers.
Virginia DHR Determines Public-Sector Salaries Lag Far Behind Private Sector
The Associated Press reports on December 7 that Virginia’s Department of Human Resources recently published a report that found the state’s public-sector workers earning, on average, 27% less than their private-sector counterparts. Sometimes the amount is even larger, as in the case of state’s attorneys, where the private-sector pay averages 90% higher than in the public sector. The report determined that Virginia would need to increase salaries by 26.82% by 2017 in order to bring them in line with the private sector.
Under the new rule, companies who do business in Portland must pay an additional 10 percent in taxes if their chief executives receive compensation greater than 100 times the median pay of all their employees. Companies with pay ratios greater than 250 times the median will face a 25 percent surcharge.
“Income inequality is real, it is a national problem and the federal government isn’t doing anything about it,” says Portland Mayor Charles Hales. “We have a habit of trying things in Portland; maybe they’re not perfect at the first iteration. But local action replicated around the country can start to make a difference.”
VSEA Labor Educator Announces Winter/ Spring 2017 Training Schedule
VSEA Labor Educator Tim Lenoch asked WIA to announce a new round of trainings he has scheduled throughout the winter 2016. If you are interested in registering to attend one or more trainings, you can do so by clicking here. Please direct your training questions to Tim at tlenoch@vsea.org.
All trainings begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m.
Location may change based on worksite location of registered participants. If this happens, registered participants will be notified at least a week ahead of the training. Mileage and lunch may be reimbursed or provided.
TOPIC TRAININGS
Representing Co-Workers in Investigations and Disciplinary Meetings
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday, January 9
Stewards & The “Hostile Work Enviroment”
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday January 31
Health and Safety Issues In The Workplace
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday, February 7
Stewards & Labor Management Committees
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday, February 16
The Grievance
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, February 23
Diversity For Public Sector Union Members
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday, April 4
Stewards & Contract Review
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, April 20
TARGETED DEPARTMENT/BARGAINING UNIT TRAININGS
Nursing/Health Care Facility Stewards
Mendon
Thursday, February 2
Department of Corrections Stewards
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday, February 14
Supervisory Bargaining Unit Stewards
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday, March 14
Vermont State Colleges’ Stewards
VTC Campus, Randolph Center
Thursday, April 6
Judiciary Stewards
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday, April 11
DCF Stewards
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, April 27
NEW STEWARD TRAININGS
Steward 1: Introduction and the Basics
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, March 2
Steward 2: Protecting the Contract and Building the Union
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, March 16
Steward 3: The Contract and Challenges in the Workplace
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, March 30
Steward 1: Introduction and the Basics
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, May 4
Steward 2: Protecting the Contract and Building the Union
VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, May 16
ALL STEWARD TRAINING
All-Steward Training
VTC Campus, Randolph
Friday, May 26
Bus Is Filling For VSEA Sponsored New Year’s Eve Trip To See Disney On Ice In Boston!
On the heels of successful VSEA “NASCAR Day” and “Day at Fenway” events, VSEA’s Membership Recruitment Committee is now scheduling a “VSEA Disney on Ice” event for interested members and your families.
The performance is New Year’s Eve, December 31, at 3:00 p.m. at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.
The package price is $60 per member/family member and that includes your ticket and transportation to and from the arena.
A chartered bus will pick members up members at:
9:00 a.m. – Waterbury
10:00 a.m. – White River Junction
10:30 a.m. – Springfield Park & Ride
Here’s a synopsis of the show: Experience Disney’s hilarious hair-raising escapade, Tangled; as Rapunzel, her unlikely companion, Flynn, and Maximus, embark on an uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths! Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in a magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss. And fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true. All your favorite princesses take to the ice in a spectacular finale at the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime! Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream comes to your hometown!
VSEA First Vice President Looking To Fill Vacant Council Seats
VSEA First Vice President Aimee Towne is casting a net to try to fill several open seats on the VSEA Council. With more than 120 VSEA members, the VSEA Council is one of your union’s primary governing bodies and its largest and most diverse, with departmental representatives from across state government. The Council meets quarterly and retains a right to override decisions made by the VSEA Board of Trustees.
The following Council seats (by departmental heading) are currently open, and interested VSEA members are urged to self nominate:
Aging and Independent Living – 2 seats available
Agriculture
Auditor of Accounts
Buildings and General Services – 3 seats available
Children and Families – 2 seats available
ACCD/Economic Development
ACCD/Marketing and Tourism
Commission on Women
Corrections
Criminal Justice Training Council
Defender General
DVHA
Education
Finance and Management
Financial Regulation
Forests and Parks
AHS/Rate Setting & Auditing
AHS/IT Unit
Judiciary
Labor
Library
Liquor Control
Lottery
Mental Health
Military
ANR
Public Safety – Civilian – 2 seats available
Public Service Board
Public Service Department
Secretary of State
Tax Department
Transportation – 2 seats available
Transportation Agency/DMV – 2 seats available
Treasurer’s Office
> You can find a self-nominating form by clicking here. (opens/ downloads as a PDF)
Questions? Please contact VSEA Administrative Assistant Ayla Hudson at 802-223-5247, or by email at ahudson@vsea.org.
VSEA Insurance Representative Will Be In Chittenden County Throughout December
By Appointment Only:
VSEA Insurance Representative Joanne Woodcock will be at the following locations to talk with interested VSEA members about member-only insurance benefits.
Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center
26 Woodside Drive, Colchester, VT December 13 and 14 – 12:00 to 4:00 pm
108 Cherry Street, Suite 104
Burlington, VT December 15 and 16
12:00 to 4:00
Dept. of Vermont Health Access
312 Hurricane Lane
Williston, Vt. December 20 and 21
12:00 to 4:00
Receive information on disability coverage, family life insurance, family accident and cancer coverage. You must be a member paying full dues to be eligible for this VSEA benefit. If you are an agency-fee payer, Joanne can provide you information about signing up for full membership.
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.
Stay Connected:
