VSEA Social Worker Records New Radio Ad To Remind Vermonters About The Fund For Lara Sobel’s Children

Shortly after the August 7 tragic killing of DCF Social Worker Lara Sobel, her colleague Trissie Casanova recorded a radio ad, asking Vermonters to contribute to a special fund VSEA created called “The Fund for Lara Sobel’s Children.” The ad proved to be very popular and many stations across the state aired it well into the spring of this year. With the one-year anniversary of Lara’s death on the horizon, Casanova was back in the studio this week to record a new ad that reminds Vermonters about the fund.

VSEA members who have yet to contribute to the special fund are asked to please consider donating today. If you already contributed, thanks!

VSEA members using Facebook are asked to share VSEA’s post about the ad with all your friends.

Time To Ride! “VSEA Union (Motorcycle) Ride” Is Tomorrow!

All VSEA Members Invited!

A group of VSEA AOT members will be hopping on their motorcycles tomorrow morning to participate in a ride to celebrate recent gains they made in the new contract and also to demonstrate solidarity with all Vermont workers. The ride is being coordinated by AOT members, but all VSEA members with a motorcycle are invited to join.

Riders are meeting on the State House lawn in Montpelier, beginning at 9:00 a.m., and the run will commence at 10:00 a.m. After touring through Morrisville, West Danville, Groton and Barre, riders will end back in Montpelier on Main Street at roughly 1:00 p.m.

> Join the Facebook event page here!

Let’s ride!
Those attending Saturday will receive a free VSEA Union Ride patch! (While supplies last)

Reminder That August 3 Is The Deadline To Register To Vote In VT Primary

VSEA’s Legislative Committee and the Secretary of State’s Office is reminding Vermonters that Wednesday, August 3, is the final day to register to vote in the August 9 primary election.

> If you haven’t yet registered to vote in the primary, go here to do so today!

Barre Chapter’s Annual Meeting Is August 3!

VSEA’s Barre Chapter Annual Meeting is Wednesday, August 3, at the Quarry Restaurant, located at 210 N. Main Street in Barre. There is a very full agenda.

In most cases, your Chapter’s Annual Meeting is its most important assembly of the year, and all Chapter members’ voices and viewpoints are welcome.

Rutland Chapter’s Annual Meeting Is August 4!

VSEA’s Rutland Chapter Annual Meeting is Thursday, August 4, at Olympic Pizza, located at 134 Woodstock Ave. in Rutland. Food and beverages provided. If able, please RSVP to Chapter President Matt Jakubowski at firebeevt@yahoo.com. There will be a discussion about VSEA’s Annual Meeting in September.

Springfield Chapter’s Annual Meeting Is August 11!

VSEA Springfield Chapter President Joey Holmes asked WIA to let members in his Chapter know that your Annual Meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 11 at the State Office Building in Springfield. It begins at 4:30 p.m. and pizza and beverages will be available. The meeting has a full agenda, including:

• Call to Order;
• Adoption of Previous Meeting’s Minutes;
• Chapter President’s Report;
• Chapter Treasurer’s Report;
• Election of Chapter officers (President/Vice-President/Treasurer and Secretary) and 1 open Council seat;
• Discussion on VSEA Annual Meeting (raffles/drawings we will do for VSEA and Springfield Chapter fundraising);
• Old Business;
• New Business; and
• Adjournment.

Questions? Need Directions?
Contact Joey at 885-8992 /Liz at 674-1103 or Leona at 885-8994.

VSEA Sending Delegation To Annual Summer School For Union Women

VSEA is sending a seven-woman delegation to the 2016 NE Summer School for Women in Unions and Worker Organizations, which is being held July 30 to August 3 at the Labor Education Center on the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. This year’s theme is “The Struggle is Real,” and you can learn more information about the school here. VSEA women have been attending the Summer Schools for years now, and this year’s delegation features: Dawn Carillo (DII), Sarah Draper (DCF), Barbara King (VVH), Cassidy Renfrew (DOC), Victoria Thorpe (Judiciary), Rebecca Trower (Tax Dept.) and Melissa Walsh (VVH).

Information About Upcoming VT State Retirement Board Elections

Elections for two full Vermont State Retirement Board seats (each w/ two-year term) will be conducted at this year’s VSEA Annual Meeting on September 10. If you are interested in serving on the Board—and wish to have your name on the printed ballot for Annual Meeting—you must submit a letter of intent to the VSEA Elections Committee no later than September 1, 2016. You should send an email to Rubin Jennings VSEA (RKennings@vsea.org), or mail your letter to:

VSEA Elections Committee
c/o Rubin Jennings
VSEA Headquarters
155 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05602

Special Note: VSEA asks that interested candidates consider if they really have the ability to dedicate the time needed to fulfill the role of this position. For more information about the position, please contact Ray Stout at VSEA HQ, 223-5247. If you cannot ensure your attendance at the Retirement Board meetings, and fulfill the other requirements (including outside reading, conference calls, workshops, etc.), you may want to reconsider applying for this role.

VSC Unit Chair Clarifies What’s Happening At Johnson State & Lyndon State

VSEA State Colleges’ Unit Chair Sandy Noyes asked WIA to publish this message from her about last week’s news reports that Johnson State and Lyndon State are proposing to consolidate:

Photo: VPR

“Recently the VSC has announced plans for Lyndon State College (LSC) & Johnson State College (JSC) to consolidate campuses. The newspapers are referring to it as a merger but that is not the case.

With a substantial deficit at LSC, the administration has decided to explore the consolidation of LSC and JSC. This will help expand programs and opportunities for our students. There have been many people retiring and others receiving lay off notices through the years which left many jobs being unfilled and other staff members picking up extra tasks to make sure the job gets done. The 2 campuses will have one administration, one budget, and one accreditation but each campus will have its own identity such as Lyndon State College Hornets and Johnson State College Badger.

This move is still in the planning stage and we will be keeping our eyes and ears open as new ideas unfold. I will keep you up to date as much as I can.”

> Read new story about the proposed consolidation here

Newly Released Audit Finds Required Employee Evaluations Barely Happening In Three State Agencies/ Departments

The State Auditor’s office released a new audit this week that found that even with statutory and contractual language mandating annual employee evaluations by State managers, only a very few employees working for the Departments of Information and Innovation, Finance and Management and Human Resources are receiving an evaluation. Some say it’s been years and others never at all.

“Any employee in any organization deserves to know what his or her supervisor’s expectation is for them,” the Auditor writes, adding that regular evaluations give employees and managers an opportunity to confer on how well the worker is meeting expectations. “The lack of information about that has very practical implications.”

“It’s pretty bad management,” VSEA Executive Director Steve Howard tells VTDigger in a July 27 story about the audit. Howard echoes the Auditor, explaining to Digger that VSEA members want to know what is expected of them in their professional roles. “If people took some time out to listen to frontline workers, state government would most likely run more efficiently,” Howard adds.

Excerpts from the audit:

"As a result of our audit, we concluded that only 27 of 181 classified employees in the three departments [Human Resources (DHR), Information & Innovation (DII), and Finance & Management (F&M)] received an annual performance evaluation in 2015. Furthermore, a non-statistical sample of 20 of 154 classified employees who did not receive an annual evaluation in 2015 revealed that nine had not received an annual performance evaluation for more than five years, and three with hire dates in 2013, 2012, and 1998 had no record of an annual evaluation.

We interviewed 22 of 46 supervisors from these three departments to understand the causes for the low level of completed annual performance evaluations for 2015. These interviews showed the following:

• Most supervisors did not know whether their own written performance expectations included the responsibility for annual evaluations, and the supervisors they reported to had not followed up with them in 2015regarding annual performance evaluations;
• About half stated they did not begin receiving notifications of upcoming evaluations that were due until late 2015 or early 2016; and
• Less than half (45 percent) indicated they had received some training in the State’s performance evaluation system."

The audit concludes, in part:

“DHR did not consistently provide notifications of due dates for annual performance evaluations to its own supervisors and to supervisors in DII and F&M. This may partially explain the low completion rates for these three departments. The hiring of an additional employee in DHR, who is charged with sending these notifications, may improve the consistency of notifications to supervisors and improve the completion rates of annual performance evaluations.

Most supervisors interviewed in the three departments were uncertain about whether their performance expectations included completion of annual performance evaluations for subordinates. Senior officials in DII and F&M stated that completion of annual performance evaluations had not been a priority in the past, but they indicated it would be emphasized going forward.”

After Sheriffs Walk, Private Firm Chosen to Provide Security At Windham & Chittenden Court Houses

Photo: VTDigger

VTDigger reports on July 26 that Court Administrator Pat Gabel is choosing to replace Vermont Sheriffs at the Windham and Chittenden Court Houses with private security guards provided by the for-profit company Securitas USA (which is based in Sweden).

Vermont Sheriffs are walking because the Judiciary could not afford the contract, but, in the story, Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark says he warned the Judiciary two years ago that the State’s payment was not sustainable. The Judiciary says the Sheriffs are asking for “a 35% increase. Clark calls the figure misleading because “it does not account for the fact his department needed to provide more staffing than had been contractually obligated. ‘The court refuses to acknowledge what it’s actually going to take (to protect courthouses),’ Clark adds.”

From the story:

“The state’s total contract with Securitas is $618,255 for 22 months with an option for a one-year extension. The deal does not reduce the state’s costs, but security will be enhanced at all three facilities, said Matt Riven, finance and administration chief for the Vermont court administrator’s office.

‘In both counties, the amount is actually slightly higher than what was offered to the incumbents — in Windham because we were able to slightly increase the security staffing coverage, and in Chittenden because we were able to transition to an armed screening officer,’ Riven said.”

Note: One theory for the increased personnel is the private firm’s workers are paid less, with fewer benefits, so, like in private prisons, there can be more Securitas USA workers, but judging by posts found here, they are workers lots of complaints.

Corrections Unit Seeks New Trustee

VSEA Elections, Rules and Nominating Committee Chair Rubin Jennings sent an email to VSEA Corrections members on July 14, explaining that the current Corrections Unit Trustee has been promoted out of the bargaining unit and this has created a vacancy in this important position.

Interested candidates must send back a petition with the names of 25 DOC members by 4:00 p.m., Friday August 5, 2016. To be eligible for candidacy for this position, you must be an active member of VSEA. No faxed or scanned petitions will be accepted.

> Download a petition here.

Up-To-Date Schedule Of Chapter Annual Meetings

It’s that time of the year again. Time for all VSEA Chapters to be scheduling their Chapter Annual Meetings in advance of VSEA’s all-inclusive Annual Meeting on September 10 at Killington.

Here are the scheduled Chapter Annual Meetings to date (Click links for more information):

• Addison – TBD
• Barre – Wednesday, August 3 – Quarry Restaurant, Barre, 5:00 p.m.
• Brattleboro – Wednesday, August 17 – Marina Restaurant, Brattleboro,
  5:00 p.m.
• Central Vermont – Thursday, August 18 – Recreation Park Pavilion, Montpelier, 5:30 p.m.
• Franklin/Grand Isle – Friday, August 12 – St. Albans Bay, 5:00 p.m.
• NEK/ St. Johnsbury – Wednesday, August 17, – ANR, 1229 Portland St., St. Johnsbury, 5:00 p.m.
• Newport/ Island Pond – Thursday, August 18 – East Side Restaurant, Newport, 5:00 p.m.
• Retirees – Thursday, August 18 – Steakhouse Restaurant, Berlin,
  9:30 a.m.
• Rutland – Olympic Pizza, 134 Woodstock Ave., Rutland, 5:00 p.m.
• Springfield – Thursday, August 11 – State Office Building, 100 Mineral, First Floor Conference Room, 4:30 p.m.
• Vermont State Hospital – TBD
• White River Junction – Wednesday, August 10 – 5:00 p.m.

WIA will update this each week with times and locations, as they are learned. If your Chapter has scheduled its meeting, please make a note of the date and try to attend, as your voice is important.

Calling All VSEA Campaign 2016 Volunteers!

In the weeks and months leading up to the Vermont’s August 9 primary election—and then to the November 8 general election—VSEA Legislative Committee members and HQ staff will be asking members to volunteer some time to assist candidates who have received VSEA’s endorsement and who deserve our support. A reminder that, this year, there are five VSEA members running for office, and each could use your help.

There are many ways for you to participate in VSEA’s Campaign 2016 activities, including:

• Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored phone bank;
• Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored honk-and-wave;
• Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored door-to-door canvassing effort;
• Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored candidate(s) rally;
• Educate your family, friends and colleagues about the candidate and his/her positions on issues important to VSEA members;
• March with a candidate in a parade;
• Volunteer to help at a candidate’s headquarters (if applicable) with things like answering phones, filing, assembling educational packets/mailings, etc.;
• Put a yard sign in your yard, or help the candidate distribute signs in your area;
• Host a candidate house party;
• Drive voters to the polls on Election Day;
• Pen a letter to the editor in support of VSEA-endorsed candidate(s); and
• Make a monetary contribution to a candidate(s).

If you would be interested in volunteering some time to help your union’s campaign 2016 efforts, please contact VSEA Organizing Director Vinnie O’Connor by email voconnor@vsea.org, or by phone at 223-5247.

Important Note: It is imperative that VSEA have your current home email address, so you can receive political material. This is because some messages could be labeled partisan, and therefore they are not permissible to send to work emails. When contacting Vinnie with interest, please be sure to let him know your current home email. Thanks!

VSEA Labor Educator Reminds Members of Summer Trainings – Three Open To All

VSEA Labor Educator Tim Lenoch asked WIA to announce a new round of trainings he has scheduled throughout the summer 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.

There are three trainings open to all members, please invite folks who may be interested:

Protecting Bargaining Unit Work
Friday, August 5
Register For This Training Here

Health and Safety Issues in the Workplace
Friday, August 12
Register For This Training Here

The “Hostile Work Environment”
Friday, August 19
Register For This Training Here

> Go here to view the full schedule of summer trainings.

Subscribe To VSEA!

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.