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!
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.
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
Winners announced at Annual Meeting on September 10.
VSEA Surveying Members About Forming Legal Defense Fund
VSEA sent a survey to members this week to solicit opinions on developing a program to provide legal defense to members who face criminal charges or other civil or administrative challenges arising from actions taken in the course of their employment. The survey email explained that VSEA is reviewing several options, including one that would cover the unlimited costs to defend you in the event of a criminal prosecution or some civil prosecutions arising in the course of your work. The benefit would cost you an additional $4.70 per month, on top of your regular dues.
If you might be interested in such a program, please complete the following survey, which can be found here. Your answers will help VSEA design a program to best meet VSEA members’ needs.
Time Is Now To Self-Nominate For Seat On Corrections Bargaining Team
VSEA members working in Corrections should have received a letter in the mail recently, informing you about the self-nominating process for a seat on your Unit’s Bargaining Team.
Any Corrections Bargaining Unit VSEA member can self-nominate for a seat, and you can also nominate a Unit co-worker(s)* for a seat. In either case, the nominee must work at the specific facility/office in order to represent the seat.
Your form must be received at VSEA no later than 4:00 p.m. on June 30, 2016. Elections, if necessary, will take place in July 2016. Go here to find a form.
Submit the form to: VSEA ERN Committee, 155 State Street VT. 05602
Important Notice! VSEA Union Representative Territories Have Changed!
New Approach To Pair Union Reps With Specific Agencies/Departments
VSEA Organizing Director Vinnie O’Connor and Field Services Director Gretchen Naylor announced last week, via email to all members, that, beginning Monday, May 23, VSEA’s six Union Representatives were reassigned to specific state agencies and departments, as opposed to regions and territories, which has been the practice.
Here is a list of the new Union Representative assignments:
Rachael Fields
Health Access Eligibility Unit
Department of Aging & Independent Living
Department of Health
Department of Mental Health
Department of Vermont Health Access
Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital
Vermont Veterans’ Home
Brian Morse
Judiciary Unit
State Colleges’ Unit
Supervisory Unit (except AOT)
Mike O’Day
Department of Corrections (North)
Department of Public Safety (North) – Civilian
Military Department
Sworn Law Enforcement (North)
Williston 911 Dispatch
Bob South
Buildings & General Services
Criminal Justice Training Center
Department of Corrections (South)
Department of Liquor Control
Department of Liquor Control Warehouse
Department of Public Safety (South)
Emergency 911 Board
Rockingham 911 Dispatch
Sworn Law Enforcement (South)
Nikolas Stein
Agency of the Administration
Agency of Agriculture
Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Agency of Education
Agency of Human Services (Central)
Agency of Natural Resources
Department for Children & Families
Department of Financial Regulation
Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (Civilian)
Department of Innovation & Information
Department of Labor
Department of Libraries
Department of Taxes
Green Mountain Care Board
Public Service Board
Secretary of State’s Office
Treasurer’s Office
Vermont Lottery
Dave Van Deusen
Agency of Transportation
Agency of Transportation Supervisors
Department of Motor Vehicles (Except Sworn Law Enforcement)
Office of the Defender General
Vermont State Housing Authority
VSEA Policies Available Online
Wondering about a VSEA policy and want to look it up online? Now you can.
VSEA’s website now has a page listing your union’s governing policies, and members with “member-only” website access can review any or all of them by clicking here.
Again, note that in order to view the policies on www.vsea.org, you must first be a registered user of the union’s website, which will then grant you “member-only” status. If you are not a registered user of VSEA’s website, you can click here to sign up today. If you are not a registered user, you will receive an “Access Denied” message when trying to view the updates.
Threatened While On The Job? VSEA Wants To Know.
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.”
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:
Addison County – TBD
Barre – Wednesday, August 3
Bennington – TBD
Brattleboro – Wednesday, August 17
Central Vermont – TBD
Chittenden – TBD
Franklin/Grand Isle – Friday, August 12
Lamoille— TBD
NEK/ St. Johnsbury – Wednesday, August 17
Newport/ Island Pond – TBD
Retirees – Thursday, August 18
Rutland – Thursday, August 4
Springfield – Thursday, August 11
Vermont State Hospital – TBD
Waterbury – Wednesday, August 10
White River Junction – Wednesday, August 10
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.
VSEA State Housing Authority Members Prepare To Bargain
VSEA’s Vermont State Housing Authority (VSHA) Bargaining Team will sit down at the table with the State on June 28 to begin negotiations on a new contract. VSHA workers join the Judiciary and Vermont State Colleges as the only VSEA Units left still working to reach new agreements.
Vermont State Colleges members’ contract ballots were due back to headquarters today, and the union’s ERN Committee will convene soon to count the ballots. Check VSEA’s website and Facebook page to learn the State Colleges’ ratification vote result, or read it in next week’s WIA.
June 30 Is Deadline To Self-Nominate For Seat On Corrections Bargaining Team
VSEA members working in Corrections have until June 30 to self-nominate for a seat on your Unit’s Bargaining Team. Any Corrections Bargaining Unit VSEA member can self-nominate for a seat, and can also nominate a Unit co-worker(s)* for a seat. In either case, the nominee must work at the specific facility/office in order to represent the seat.
Your form must be received at VSEA no later than 4:00 p.m. on June 30, 2016. Elections, if necessary, will take place in July 2016. Go here to find a form.
Submit the form to: VSEA ERN Committee, 155 State Street VT. 05602
VSEA Docket Clerks Wonder What Happened To Woman Who Received An Award In 2010 For Advocating For Women
VSEA posted the following on its Facebook page on June 21:
Patricia "Pat" Gabel is the current Vermont Court Administrator, or head of the Judicial Branch. In 2010, the Stowe Reporter published a story about her, titled "Patricia Gabel Recognized For Leadership."
The story is about Ms. Gabel being honored in 2010 by the prestigious women’s advocacy group, the International Women’s Forum of Canada. She won an award for her commitment to identifying and promoting women leaders in the workplace.
Segue to 2016, and Ms. Gabel finds herself as the target of a campaign by approximately 100 Vermont VSEA Docket Clerks (all but two of whom are women) to address the Judiciary’s steadfast resistance to addressing the continuing impact of historic wage discrimination for this overwhelmingly female workforce. She continues to prevent the Docket Clerks from bargaining over any pay increase over the cost of living. She has also prevented them from achieving a fair system of appeals to ensure that they are appropriately classified and paid for the work they do.
Help VSEA Docket Clerks convince Court Administrator Pat Gabel to support this fight for wage fairness by a group of Vermont workers who are mainly working women; many on public assistance to supplement their meager pay.
Another VSEA Member Declares As Candidate In Vermont House Race!
Add past VSEA Executive Director Judy Rosenstreich’s name to the growing list of frontline state employees who will be campaigning this year to win a seat in the Vermont House. Rosensteich joins VSEA members Rachael Fields, Cheri Goldstein, Evan Hill and Aimee Towne as a declared candidate for the House.
Rosenstreich is running for the Chittenden 6-4 House seat. She is currently a Senior Policy Analyst in the Department of Mental Health.
VSEA is asking members who live in Judy’s district to consider casting your vote for a fellow state employee. The more rank-and-file worker voices in the State House, the better!
VSEA AOT Members Holding “AOT Union (Motorcycle) Ride” On July 30
All VSEA Members Invited
To Ride!
A group of VSEA AOT members are planning a motorcycle run on July 30 to celebrate recent gains they made in the new contract and to demonstrate solidarity with all Vermont workers. While the ride is being coordinated by AOT members, 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 1:00p.m.
VSEA members interested in participating in the run can RSVP to Union Representative Dave Van Deusen by email at dvandeusen@vsea.org.
At a special awards ceremony on June 17, Vermont State Police Lieutenant and VSEA member Kraig LaPorte received a “Director’s Award” from the Department of Public Safety, in recognition of his leadership of the VSP’s Major Crime Unit (MCU). An announcement about LaPorte’s award says the MCU has handled a total of 13 homicides and four officer-involved shootings.
Bennington Chapter Meeting/Member Appreciation Event Is June 28!
VSEA Bennington Chapter President Victoria Thorpe asked WIA to remind Chapter members that your next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, June 28, beginning at 5:10 p.m. The meeting, which is doubling as a Member Appreciation event, is being held at the Tap House, located at 309 County Street in Bennington.
Across the United States, unionized nurses affiliated with National Nurses United (NNU) are striking to educate the public about the real need for improved patient safety and increased quality care in the hospitals where they work.
In Minnesota, a walkout by nurses that began on June 19 is going strong. The walkout was by nurses working at hospitals owned by Allina. In addition to resolving contract issues, the nurses are asking Allina “for better planning by hospitals to ensure safe environments.” In California, NNU nurses working at Kaiser’s Los Angeles Medical Center struck over staffing issues on June 22. “We need Kaiser to focus on providing us the resources we need to properly take care of our patients,” explains one nurse. And NNU nurses working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston are planning a one-day strike for June 27, citing “inadequate staffing of the hospital’s Tertiary Care center, short staffing for critically-ill children and lack of proper staffing to allow nurses to take rest and meal breaks.”
Finally Asked, Washington State Capitol Groundskeepers’ Simple Advice Is Being Successfully Implemented
Heeding their Governor’s call to improve the state’s environmental practices, unionized groudskeepers at the Washington State Capitol suggested that if they didn’t mow certain areas of the Capitol’s grounds, it would improve their efficiency by allowing them to spend more time focusing on sustainability. Also, by not mowing in a few out-of-way areas on the grounds of the State Capitol, groundskeepers say they can reduce water use and cut down on “the amount of fertilizer, pesticides and fossil fuels required for the upkeep.” So far, the public response is running two to three in favor of leaving the grass high in some areas, and the state knows this because the public can scan a code on signs outside each unmowed area and register their feelings.
“The employees are the ones we depend on to really put forward the ideas,” said Chris Liu, Washington’s director of enterprise services. “Instead of having just 10 percent of the people participating, we wanted to have 100 percent of the people participating. This project is one of the outcomes of having everyone participate.” He adds, “I’ve worked for a lot of Governors. This is the first time I’ve ever had a Governor meet with the grounds people, get their ideas and laud them for coming up with new innovations.”
Reporter Spends Four Months Working As CO In A Private Prison & Writes About Disturbing Experience
Mother Jones Magazine published a story in its most recent edtion, titled “My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard,” detailing reporter Shane Bauer’s experience working at a facility owned and operated by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). The article is long, and it contains profanity, but it is worth a read, especially for VSEA members who support housing all Vermont inmates in state-operated, in-state prisons, as opposed to warehousing them in out-of-state, for-profit private prisons, operated by groups like CCA and the Geo Group.
One paragraph in the story is especially alarming, describing the toll being a correctional officer in either a public or private facility can take on a person. It reads:
“Research shows that corrections officers experience above-average rates of job-related stress and burnout. Thirty-four percent of prison guards suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study by a nonprofit that researches ‘corrections fatigue.’ That’s a higher rate than reported by soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. COs commit suicide two and a half times more often than the population at large. They also have shorter life spans. A recent study of Florida prison guards and law enforcement officers found that they die 12 years earlier than the general population; one suggested cause was job-related stress.”
WARNING! This story contains language that could offend.
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:
One of the items being prepared for members attending this year’s VSEA Annual Meeting in Killington is a reprint of a 1984 document titled “A Brief Chronology of the VSEA 1944 – 1984,” which was created in 1984 by the VSEA History Committee. In the coming weeks, WIA will be sharing snippets from the book with members.
Here’s the entry in the booklet from 1947:
“Average State employee annual salary is $1,860.00. VSEA decides to form a Credit Union to function in cooperation with the Association but administered by its own members. Act No. 156 becomes law, establishing self-insurance for injury on the job. The VSEA Council votes to loan the Credit Union $50.00 interest free “to be repaid when the Credit Union found it possible to get started, contact employees and purchase supplies. Governor Ernest W. Gibson establishes and implements the first Personnel Rules and Regulations and names a “Personnel Director and Merit System Supervisor.”
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