VSEA Strongly Opposes State’s Proposal To Allow, Out-Of-State, Private Prison Industry To Gain Foothold In Vermont

Numerous news outlets reported this week on the State’s intention to float a proposal to allow former private-prison (now real estate entity?) CoreCivic to gain a foothold in Vermont by paying to construct a 925-bed correctional and mental health facility in northwest Vermont and then lease it back to the state for 20 years. According to all reports, in the near-term, the State would continue to administer the newly built prison, and state employees would staff the facilities, but the terms and conditions of the lease moving forward remain unknown. The lease terms, especially ones relating to annual rent and / or employee rights and working conditions, could be subject to change at some point or could allow for wholesale changes in facility administration. VSEA members should insist that if the State’s proposal gains momentum (and VSEA seriously hopes it doesn’t), the terms and conditions of any lease being considered must be made public far in advance of any formal decisions being made.

CoreCivic used to be known as Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA; a company whose facilities nationwide have had numerous well-documented cases of human and prisoner’s right’s violations, substandard health care, conducting gladiator-like fights between inmates, etc. Understaffing and low wages are also ongoing issues at CCA, now CoreCivic, facilities. Given the company’s less-than-stellar reputation, many Vermonters, including VSEA Executive Director Steve Howard are openly blasting the State’s proposal, pointing out that just because CoreCivic has a new name doesn’t mean a company with its sordid reputation is suddenly okay for Vermont.

“This is part of the private prison industry’s strategy,” Howard tells VTDigger in a January 16 story about the proposal. “Becoming a landlord is now one of their biggest revenue streams. The question for Vermonters is, do we want to turn over our entire correctional system to a massive, morally corrupt and morally questionable industry that will produce profits from [Vermonters’] tax dollars?”

In a WCAX story the same day, Howard warned about giving companies like CoreCivic a foothold in Vermont, saying, “[Partnering with CoreCivic] gives a private prison company a tremendous amount of leverage. Once they control the Corrections system they hold all the cards and then they decide what Corrections policy is."

In a January 16 Seven Days story about CoreCivic’s lobbying efforts in Vermont, Senate Pro Tem Tim Ashe expresses reservations similar to Howard’s. The reporter writes, “Calling CoreCivic a ‘notorious company’ that has done ‘plenty of damage,’ Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) told reporters Tuesday that its potential involvement ‘will merit a lot of discussion.’”

As is pointed out in every story this week about the State’s proposal, it’s just a proposal right now and still has a long way to go, however, VSEA will continue to work with other concerned groups to try and squash any debate at the State House before it can even begin, reminding leaders and lawmakers every day about CCA’s (now CoreCivic’s) very checkered past and about how many lawsuits have been filed against the company for numerous, well-documented infractions—and about how much in fines CoreCivic has had to pay out to date.

VSEA members are urged to contact State leaders and your lawmakers today to voice your opposition to any proposal that would allow a private company with a reputation as tarnished as CCA to gain a foothold in Vermont.

Send a message to the
Governor here.

Additional Press About State’s Private-Prison Proposal:

• Seven Days
• VPR

See The Bruins With VSEA On February 3!

Tickets still remain for: 
Boston Bruins vs.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Saturday, February 3, 2018
7:00 p.m. 
TD Garden (Section: Balcony 321)
Boston

$170 Per Person – Includes a bus ride to and from TD Garden, as well as a ticket to the game.

To reserve a seat(s) on the bus/ order tickets, contact VSEA Administrative Assistant Sue Devoid. You can reach Sue by email at sdevoid@vsea.org or by phone at 802-223-5247.

Purchase Tickets Online With Credit Card Here

Important! You will not be officially on the bus until full payment is received at headquarters. Please make checks payable to VSEA.

Failed “Challenges For Change” Program Now Returning As “PIVOT” Program?

When the Douglas Administration rolled out its infamous cost-savings “Challenges for Change” Program at the height of the recession, VSEA and its members were some of the first to label the effort as “window dressing,” saying it all might look good on paper but the proof will be in how well it works in practice. Well, it didn’t work and after just a few short years, Challenges for Change was mothballed and was widely mocked for just how badly it failed and how few of the program’s promised outcomes were actually realized. Now comes word that January 23’s budget address will feature the official roll out of a new State program called PIVOT, which appears is primarily intended to improve efficiency across state government and possibly generate some savings, although how these things happen remains unclear. The devil will be in the details, which, again, will hopefully be fully explained to Vermonters on January 23.

From a January 17 Seven Days post about the PIVOT Program:

“Indeed, the goal isn’t necessarily to save money. It’s to improve operations. ‘We will save in some areas, maybe spend more in others as we identify needs,’ said Allyson Laackman, executive director of the Burlington Housing Authority and GMET member. She served in the Obama administration and instituted a process similar to PIVOT in the White House. ‘Once you budget based on impact, you spend more efficiently,’ she added.

“It sounds promising. But the whole process is essentially a black box. [Agency of Administration point person Sue] Zeller says that GMET, as an advisory group, is exempt from state open meetings laws. PIVOT is an administrative process with no official reporting requirements.

“In the end, it’s too soon to tell if PIVOT will be a transformative force or a fizzle. There are a lot of talented, dedicated people devoting their energy to the project, but that doesn’t guarantee results. 

“In her 35 years in state government, [Sen. Jane] Kitchel has seen this movie before. "The question is, are you getting outcomes that are over and above what you would normally expect?" she said. ‘Once it’s over, do people revert to their old behavior?’"

Note: As always, VSEA members must be on guard against any new programs or proposals alleged to “improve efficiency” or “streamline services.” You know that in the past these efforts have sometimes resulted in positions or services being cut.

Who’s Affected By A Possible Federal Government Shutdown?

As WIA was going to print, there was still no resolution in sight in Washington, D.C., to avoid a potential shutdown today of the federal government. Given this fact, CNN today published a short list of the immediate impact of a shutdown.

• 700,000 undocumented immigrants who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will be affected, as there’s currently no fix in place ahead of the March 5 deadline;
   
• 9 million children who are under the Children’s Health Insurance Program — whose parents usually earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private health coverage — will have less certainty about the future of their health care;
   
• About 1.3 million active-duty military will be expected to work potentially without pay. The military is currently paid through February 1; 
   
• In the 2013 government shutdown, about 850,000 government employees were furloughed each day — and there could be a similar number this time around;
   
• 1.87 million civilian government workers could be exempt from furlough — including the workers at the Transportation Security Administration and food safety inspectors, border patrol officers and federal prison guards;
   
• 681,170 residents in Washington, DC, could potentially not receive basic services such as trash pickup, because the city budget is tied with the federal budget;
   
• Up to 417 national park sites could be closed, though the administration is going to "try to allow limited access wherever possible," Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift told CNN; and
   
• 19 Smithsonian museums will
  be closed.

2018 VSEA Scholarship Application Announcement Coming Next Week!

VSEA’s Awards and Scholarships Committee will be sending an email to all members next week, informing you about when members and their family and dependents can begin applying for a 2018 VSEA scholarship award. In the past, these scholarship awards have benefitted dozens of frontline employees who are pursuing a degree to help advance their career in public service. The children of many VSEA members have also received awards to help with the costs of their education.

Please keep your eye out next week for this important email from the VSEA Awards and Scholarships Committee. Subscribe to the VSEA H.Q. email list here.

Note: VSEA is sending get well soon wishes to longtime Awards and Scholarships Committee member Ruth Leithead as she recuperates. We miss you and will
see you soon!

Date Change For Next VSEA Legislative Dinner / Reception

Please note the final VSEA Legislative Dinner/ Reception (Retirement) originally scheduled for Thursday, January 25 has been rescheduled to:
Thursday February 1, 2018.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

February 1: Retirement
Advocate to protect and defend state employees’ defined benefit pension system.

The retirement dinner reception is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at VSEA H.Q. (155 State Street, Montpelier)

RSVP Online Here.
 
Or RSVP to VSEA Organizer, Danielle Warner: DWarner@VSEA.org
 

Above is a photo from last night’s second dinner / reception, which highlighted the issue of frontline employees’ safety and security. It was a packed house and the back and forth between lawmakers and frontline workers was very productive.

The VSEA Legislative Team and Committee held its second 2018 dinner reception this week, and members were able to talk face-to-face last night with lawmakers about enhanced safety and security for frontline state employees. Join us on February 1 for our final Dinner Reception, RSVP here.

Next Waterbury Chapter Meeting Is January 31

VSEA’s Waterbury Chapter will meet next on Wednesday, January 31, beginning at 12:00 p.m. in the Waterbury State Office Complex’s Oak 49, Room A283. Food will be provided.

If you have any questions in advance, please feel free to contact Waterbury Chapter President John Mangione via email: mangione@comcast.net.

Montpelier DMV Employee Appreciation Day Is  
January 24!

Stop by during your lunch break for treats and VSEA giveaway items!

For more information please feel free to contact Carmen Scoles, Union Organizer, 802-223-5247 / cscoles@vsea.org

VSEA Again Offering Discounted Tickets To See The Vermont Bucks!

VSEA is pleased to again this year to offer members and retirees the chance to see a Vermont Bucks 2018 indoor football game for a discounted price.

VSEA has a block of 20 discounted tickets (up from last year’s 10) for every Vermont Bucks 2018 season home game. There is a two-ticket limit, per-member, per-game (but some special circumstances will be considered, in consultation with VSEA). The tickets, which are on Gutterson Fieldhouse’s VIP Box Level, are $35 each (usually $100) and will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Vermont Bucks play five home games in 2018, and the season kicks off Saturday, March 24, against the Richmond Roughriders. Other home games are scheduled for April 28, May 5, June 2
and June 9.

To purchase tickets, or if you have questions, please contact Sue DeVoid at VSEA by email (sdevoid@vsea.org) or phone
802-223-5247.

Vermont Ranks 5th In Nation In Terms Of States That Depend On The Federal Government

VermontBiz posted a piece to its site this morning, reporting that a group named SmartAsset had determined that Vermont ranked fifth in the nation in terms of depending on the federal government.

In order to rank the states, SmartAsset looked at four factors:

• Percent of state government revenue which comes from the federal government;
   
• Percent of workers employed by the federal government;
   
• Quality of federal jobs; and
   
• Ratio of income taxes paid compared to money received from the federal government.

“Vermont ranks high in terms of federal funding compared to income taxes paid,” reads the report summary. “For every dollar Vermont sends to the federal government the state gets back $1.14. In that metric, the Green Mountain State ranks sixth. Federal government employees are also big producers in the state’s economy. According to SmartAsset data, the average federal government employee makes 1.89 times what the average worker earns. Vermont ranks eighth in that metric.”

Vermont Biologist Hosting 2/24 Winter
Bird Walk

The Press Republican reports today that Vermont Fish & Wildlife Biologist John Buck will be hosting a two-hour instructional talk on Saturday, February 24, to educate participants about Vermont’s winter birds and then take them out in the wild to look for some. Buck has worked at Fish & Wildlife for more than 35 years and is Vermont’s migratory bird project leader.

Buck will give his presentation at the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area Conference Room in Addison.

If interested, you can register for the event online here. Admission is free and is limited to the first 25 people who sign up.