Judiciary Bargaining Team Concludes Third Day Of Fact Finding

VSEA’s Judiciary Unit Bargaining Team wrapped up a third day of contract fact finding on June 16, and there is going to be yet a fourth day of the process in early August. After fact-finding is complete, there is a 30-day waiting period (could be less) while the fact finder reviews both sides’ arguments and proposals and then issues a final report that details his conclusions. Unfortunately, it does appear that the Judiciary Team is headed down the same path in its negotiations with the Court Administrator as the Non-Management, Corrections and Supervisory Units, but more will be known after the fact finder’s report is published. As VSEA members know, if the two sides are still unable to come to agreement on the terms and conditions outlined in the fact-finder’s report, the next step is a visit to the Vermont Labor Relations Board, where the NMU, Corrections and Supervisory Teams prevailed.

Vermont State Colleges Ratification Ballots Due Friday!

A reminder to VSEA VSC members that your contract ratification ballot is due at VSEA headquarters by 4:30 p.m., Friday, June 24.

If you did not receive a ballot, please contact your Campus Chair. If you have a question(s) about the tentative agreement, please contact a member of your Bargaining Team, listed here:

Billie Langlois, Castleton Campus Chair

Deb Ballantine, Castleton Negotiator

Sandy Noyes, JSC Campus Chair and Unit Vice Chair

Ken Moore, JSC Negotiator

Janis Henderson, Unit Chair

Jay Bona, LSC Negotiator

Monique Prive, Unit Secretary

Travis Allen, VTC Negotiator

Karen Tetreault, VTC Campus Chair and Unit Treasurer

Non-Management Unit Seeks Nominations For Bargaining Team Seats!

NMU Chair Michelle Salvador is letting Unit members know that now is the time to begin thinking about submitting your name to run for a seat on the NMU Bargaining Team. The formal nominating process for officer positions will be conducted at VSEA’s Annual Meeting on September 10. NMU members who are unable to attend Annual Meeting on September 10, but who wish to be nominated for an NMU Bargaining Team seat, can submit a letter of intent to the NMU Clerk no later than 5 days prior to Annual Meeting.

Go here to see a list of current Team members and the specific seats (i.e. AOT, Patient Care, Health Services, etc.) each hold.

Send nomination to:

Kelly Price
VSEA NMU Clerk
c/o VSEA
155 State Street
Montpelier

Brattleboro Chapter Meeting Is June 23!

VSEA Brattleboro Chapter President Robin Rieske asked WIA to remind Chapter members that your next scheduled meeting is Thursday, June 23, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Robin says, “Come learn about the outcome to our new contracts and grab some pizza. It’s ok if you can only stay a short time.” The meeting is in Room 148 of the State Office Building, located at 232 Main Street.

St. Johnsbury Chapter President Soliciting Interest In Discounted Caledonia County Fair Tickets

VSEA St. Johnsbury/NEK Chapter President Ellen Hinman is exploring the idea to offer discounted tickets to the Caledonia County Fair (held August 24 to 28 this year) as the Chapter’s “Employee Appreciation Day” event. The cost of an admission ticket, good any day, would be $6 for Chapter members and their immediate family. The Chapter would purchase tickets in advance, and they could be picked up by members at our next Chapter meeting on August 17.

The Chapter needs to get an idea of how many tickets it should purchase, so if you are interested in purchasing discounted tickets, please email ellen.hinman@yahoo.com or call her at 802-535-9366 with your name and the number of tickets you might purchase.

Please let Ellen know if you would be interested by the end of the day, Thursday, June 30, 2016.

VSEA Springfield Chapter Holds Employee Appreciation Day Event

VSEA Springfield Chapter President Joey Holmes (pictured here) helped staff a table today at an Employee Appreciation Day event the Chapter hosted today. Springfield Chapter members were invited to stop by and pick up a gift, ask any questions they might have and allow VSEA to say thanks for their service to Vermont.

Discounted 2016 Great Escape / Splashwater Kingdom Day Tickets Now Available At
VSEA HQ!

Online Ordering Coming Soon!

Park Open Now!

2016 Regular Day Tickets: $34.60 each
(42% savings!)

Discount tickets will be available soon for to purchase online. In order to access VSEA’s designated Great Escape page—which also includes the required VSEA username and password—you will have to be a registered “member-only” VSEA website user (you can sign up here!).

Please note that there will be a service charge for purchasing online.

VSEA does have tickets available for members to pick today up at headquarters, and there is no service charge attached. If interested, please contact Doug Gibson by email: dgibson@vsea.org

The online purchase option will be available within a few days. Technical issues have delayed its launch.

Are You Able To Use All Your Paid Leave This Year? Most American Workers Aren’t. Having A Union Matters.

Photo: marketwatch.com

A story posted to the website MarketWatch reports that more than half of Americans (55%) did not use all their paid vacation days in 2015, which is up from 42% in 2013. This is the first time a survey by the U.S. Travel Association has found a majority of workers not using all their vacation time.

What is a major difference between workers being able to use their vacation, versus not being able to? Union representation, of course. According to the story, “Most U.S. companies have an ‘employment-at-will’ policy, meaning they can be fired for any reason or no reason at all, unless they have a written contract, they’re in a labor union that has other rules relating to conditions of employment or they’re fired because of some kind of discrimination.”

Just as bad, 61% of Americans report working while on vacation, even when a family member openly complains.

Michigan Lawmaker Calls For Privatized Work At State Veterans’ Home To Be Returned To State Employees

The website MichiganLive posted a story on June 13 about a hearing conducted to guage progress on addressing numerous issues at a Michigan Veterans Home, where a decision was made in 2013 to lay off 140 unionized state workers at the facility to make way for a private firm to do the work. Now, some lawmakers are regretting the decision, especially after a recent audit of the home found that the private firm’s workers “falsely claimed they were checking on patients after being alerted of possible falls, failed to properly investigate allegations of abuse and neglect, and took too long to fill prescriptions. The audit also identified inadequate staffing levels.”

The article continues:

“State Rep. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, thinks the state workers should come back.
‘If we have jobs that are worth investing time and effort to develop a career around, then it makes a lot more sense that we are going to get good caregivers committed to the guys here,’ Brinks said. ‘The guys have said to me on many occasions, ‘Look, not all the government workers were good, but they showed up and they knew what they were doing. What I think is most disturbing is we are persistently still hearing these problems. We’re not saving money. Even if we are, at what cost? Is it really worth it if we have veterans going through (what we’re hearing today)?"

Note: WIA will continue to highlight this story and others about failed privatization efforts by states to “save money.” The Veterans’ Home story is especially pertinent, given some lawmakers and politicians seemingly never-ending mission to turn Vermont’s Vets’ Home services over to a private contractor(s).

Submit Your 2016 VSEA Annual Meeting Award Nominations Online Today!

It’s time again to submit your nominations for a 2016 VSEA Outstanding Performance Award in the following categories:

1) VSEA Chapter of the Year;

2) VSEA Steward of the Year;

3) The Mazza Award — For Outstanding Service to VSEA;

4) The Macaig Award — For Outstanding Public Service; and

5) The Linda Coan Memorial Award — Outstanding VSEA Staff Member

> Submit your nominations online here.

Winners announced at Annual Meeting on September 10.

VSEA Labor Educator Announces Summer Trainings – Four 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 four trainings open to all members, please invite folks who may be interested:

Stewards and Labor Management Committees
Friday, July 15
Register For This Training Here

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.

Deadline To Submit Board Of Trustees’ District Seat Ballots Is August 1!

Ballots have been mailed to VSEA members eligible to vote for candidates running for one of three VSEA District Board seats:

District 1 – Barre & Central Vermont

District 2 – Waterbury & Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital

District 5 – Rutland & Bennington

The deadline to return your ballot is 4:30 p.m., Monday, August 1, 2016!

VSEA History

1983

Here’s the entry in the booklet from 1983:

“Health Department employees retain their jobs after a ‘contracting out’ battle begun in 1982 is won. The State budget deficit prompts a special legislative session. VSEA lobbyists address unacceptable legislative suggestions of laying off a large number of State employees and/or reducing the previously bargained and agreed upon salary increase. Membership involvement is increased in many VSEA decision making areas, including ad hoc committees to advise the non-management bargaining team. Stewards training is re-designed and re-instituted. The Bargaining Teams begin what will prove to be the longest and most difficult round of bargaining. In November, the Governor orders managers to ‘get tougher’ on performance evaluations. The involuntary transfer of a 19-year veteran Game Warden sparks another VSEA challenge.”