Sad Day…
VLRB Rules For State’s Last Best Contract Offer

VSEA’s Non-Management, Corrections and Supervisory Unit Bargaining Teams learned earlier this afternoon that the Vermont Labor Relations Board has ruled in favor of the State’s last best contract offer and not the VSEA Teams’ last best offer. The Board’s decision was 2-1 against.

“This is a very tough pill to swallow for sure,” says VSEA President Dave Bellini. “Our Teams and staff negotiators put a very fair offer on the table—and a neutrally agreed-to fact finder mostly agreed with VSEA’s proposal—but you can never be sure how the Labor Board is going to interpret and rule, which might explain why the Scott Administration chose to roll the dice. It’s a sad day for Vermont state employees.”

The implementation of the State’s last best offer will hurt state employees most in the following areas:

Wages: Instead of the 2% annual increases (beginning in October of each contract year, not July) the Teams’ requested, state employees will now receive a 1.35% wage increase the first full pay period in January of each year. Step movement will continue throughout the course of the two-year contract.

Health Care: Today’s Board’s decision means increased health care benefit costs for state employees and retirees in a number of different areas, including:

• $25 more on your initial deductible;
   
• $20 more for every office visit to a specialist;
   
• $5 more for every office visit to a
  non-specialist;
   
• $50 more for emergency room visits; and
   
• $50 new copay for every MRI.

VSEA Teams fought hard to prevent any changes to state employees’ existing coverage. In fact, your Teams were proposing benefit enhancements, but instead state employees—especially those working at the lower end of the pay scale—and retirees will now be forced to pay higher out-of-pocket costs, which is unfortunate and something no one wanted, especially in an economic climate like today’s.

It doesn’t end here though.
Today’s Board’s decision also means the State now has sole discretion to determine:

• What prescription drugs state employees will be offered;
   
• The quantity state employees can receive; and
   
• How much state employees
  will pay.

This is in addition to the State now being able to require state employees to get prior authorization.

“Rest assured, the pain of the State’s health care benefit changes and fee increases will be felt across state government, and they will really hurt the average state employee’s bottom line and Vermont’s economy as a whole,” explains Bellini. “Couple this with the State’s paltry wage increase, and there are going to be more and more state employees and retirees’ struggling even harder in the next two years to make ends meet.”

Note: VSEA will be sending a comprehensive summary early next week of the contract terms and conditions VSEA members will have imposed on them, beginning
July 1, 2018.

Vermont Education Secretary Resigns

Vermont Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe informed Governor Scott last week that she is resigning her post, effective April 1, 2018.

From a March 27 Seven Days story:

"In a letter to staff at the agency, Holcombe said she was proud of her work over the past four years, but didn’t provide any explanation for her departure.

"Last week, I submitted my resignation as Education Secretary to Governor Scott, effective April 1,’ the letter reads. ‘It is time to move on.’”

Flashback: VSEA members might recall that in November 2017, Seven Days reported that Holcombe was publicly pushing back against the State’s and lawmakers’ demand that she produce a report that she said could not be produced because she did not have the necessary staff.

From a Seven Days Nov 2017 story:

”In an August 3 letter to the Vermont House and Senate Education Committee chairs, Holcombe flatly states that she has no plans to begin a study, required by the law, to examine how public school students are counted for the purposes of state aid to education.

"At this point, we do not have sufficient capacity to meet all of our new obligations, and certainly not on the mandated timeline," Holcombe writes. "We do not expect to initiate or complete the mandated weighting study contained in Act 49 until we have capacity to do so."

If this is part of the reason why Ms. Holcombe decided to end her tenure at AOE, hopefully she will speak out more about her frustration with trying to provide the service(s) required without being given the resources necessary.

Expanded Mental Health Treatment Proposal Includes Private Hospitals Assuming
Some Services

WCAX reports on March 28 that one idea being floated at the State House to address Vermont’s “shortage of mental health treatment” is to allow UVM’s Health Network to pay for a new mental-health-treatment wing at the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin.

"There is no specific plan at this point and time. And the nature of the collaboration with the state is not defined and certainly the status of the current state psychiatric hospital is under the control of the state," Dr. Isabelle Desjardins tells WCAX.

VSEA members might remember that when both the Douglas and Shumlin Administrations proposed similar ideas to shift some, if not all, of Vermont’s mental health treatment services to Fletcher Allen or another private hospital, one of the people arguing loudly against the idea was Fletcher Allen Health Care’s own Psychiatric Unit Chief, Dr. Robert Pierattini.

Post-Irene, Pierattini stressed the importance of the State maintaining control of mental health treatment services, testifying to lawmakers in January 2012, “We need a replacement hospital that is accountable to the commissioner of mental health and fully integrated into a medical center.”  He stressed the issue of accountability when private institutions treat mental health patients under State care, a concern raised at the time by VSEA as well.

Note: It’s important to remember here that, post-Irene, nurses and other private hospital staff were very vocal about the dangerous conditions they were exposed to after the storm forced Vermont to house dozens of patients with acute mental illness in private hospitals across the state. There is no mention in the WCAX story about worker training or protections being addressed in the UVM proposal currently being floated at the
State House.  

2018 VSEA Member Bargaining Resources Page

In an effort to provide all VSEA members in good standing with access to both sides’ last best offers, staff and union bargaining statements and other helpful information, VSEA’s Communications Department has created a special “2018 VSEA Member Bargaining Resources” webpage.

The page will be updated with new information, as needed, and members are encouraged to reference the page throughout the negotiating process.

In order to view the resources page, VSEA members in good standing will need to first log into their VSEA.org account. Need a VSEA.org account? Sign up for a free account here.

Franklin/ Grand Isle Chapter Survey:
St. Alban’s Vermont Maple Parade

Members of the Franklin/ Grand Isle Chapter were sent an email containing a survey gauging members interest in participating in the St. Alban’s annual "Vermont Maple Parade". 

VSEA Franklin/ Grand Isle members can view the email here.

Organizer’s Worksite Meeting On April 3 In Burlington!

VSEA Organizer Jen Larsen is holding a meeting on April 3 with VSEA members working in Burlington. The meeting begins at 12:00 p.m. in the State Office Building’s Conference Room 2B, located at 108 Cherry Street in Burlington. There will be pizza and snacks for members attending. A bargaining update will be provided, and there will be a discussion about the Janus lawsuit’s progress to date.

Members with questions can contact Jen by email (jlarsen@vsea.org) or by phone at 802-223-5247.

Organizer’s Worksite Meeting On April 4 In Montpelier!

VSEA Organizer Jen Larsen is holding a meeting on April 4 with VSEA members working in Montpelier. The meeting begins at 12:00 p.m. at the DFR City Center’s Second-Floor, Large Conference Room in Montpelier. There will be pizza and snacks for members attending. A bargaining update will be provided, and there will be a discussion about the Janus lawsuit’s progress to date.

Members with questions can contact Jen by email (jlarsen@vsea.org) or by phone at 802-223-5247.

Organizer’s Worksite Meeting On
April 5 In WRJ!

VSEA Organizer David Oppenheimer is holding a meeting on April 5 with VSEA members working in White River Junction. The meeting begins at 12:00 p.m. at the State Office Building, located at 118 Prospect Street in White River Junction. There will be pizza for members attending. A bargaining update will be provided, and there will be a discussion about the Janus lawsuit’s progress to date.

Members with questions can contact David by email (doppenheimer@vsea.org) or by phone at 802-223-5247.

Organizer’s Worksite Meeting On
April 6 In Montpelier!

VSEA Organizer Jen Larsen is holding a meeting on April 6 with VSEA members working in Montpelier. The meeting begins at 12:00 p.m. in the DOL’s Lobby Conference Room, located at 5 Green Mountain Drive in Montpelier. There will be pizza and snacks for members attending. A bargaining update will be provided, and there will be a discussion about the Janus lawsuit’s progress to date.

Members with questions can contact Jen by email (jlarsen@vsea.org) or by phone at
802-223-5247.

April 5 Minimum Wage Public Hearing Announced

The hearing begins at 5:00 p.m. in Room 11 at the State House in Montpelier.

It’s Time! Please Donate Today To Your Unit Sick Leave Bank

Donations Being Accepted
April 1 To June 30

VSEA member Dawn Carrillo staffs the Non-Management Unit Sick Leave Bank, and she is once again asking WIA to help her solicit time donations to the bank from VSEA members. Carillo is also announcing that the donation period is April 1 to June 30, 2018, and she reminds that donations to the Corrections and Supervisory Unit Banks are also needed.

“Just donating an hour of your time can mean the world to a fellow employee,” reads a DHR flyer. It also informs state employees that they can donate any amount of annual- or personal-leave time to their respective Unit sick leave bank. “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.

VSEA members interested in donating some much-needed time to the NMU, Corrections and Supervisory Sick Leave Banks can find a donation form here.

“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.”

Bolton Valley Offering “Industry Rate” To VSEA Members On 2018-19
All-Access Season Passes

Must Purchase By
April 2, 2018

Longtime VSEA Advantage Discount Program participant Bolton Valley let VSEA know this week that, for a limited time, the popular ski resort is offering VSEA members the “industry rate” on 2018-19 all-access season passes.

All VSEA members in good standing are eligible to purchase a pass or passes through April 2, 2018. You can purchase yours today by first contacting VSEA Administrative Assistant Susan DeVoid at 802-223-5247, or by email at sdevoid@vsea.org. Sue will verify your membership status and provide you with VSEA’s code, which you will need to complete your online purchase.
 

Once you have the required code:

• Click here;
   
• Click “Buy Online”;
   
• In the “Cart View,” click on “Add / Change Guest” to set the pass-holder’s name and information to each pass, then;
   
• Click “Proceed to Checkout”;
   
• Enter VSEA’s promotional code and click “Apply Code.” The cart should refresh and reflect your discount.

All-Access Season Pass Includes:

• Unlimited alpine skiing and riding
  on 71 trails;
   
• Over 1200 acres of Nordic and backcountry skiing;
   
• A 20% discount on daily rentals, retail shop purchases, daily group ski and ride lessons, and lodging; and
   
• Sports Center Membership including access to an indoor heated pool, hot tub and sauna.

Oklahoma Teachers Get Ready To Walk On Monday

Arizona Next?

Oklahoma lawmakers increased pay for its teachers this week to try to prevent a statewide walkout on Monday, but teachers are saying it isn’t enough and they will still strike.

"While this is major progress, this investment alone will not undo a decade of neglect," Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest says in a March 29 story posted to The Hill. "Lawmakers have left funding on the table that could be used immediately to help Oklahoma students."

She continues, "This package doesn’t overcome shortfall caused by four-day weeks, overcrowded classrooms that deprive kids of the one-on-one attention they need. It’s not enough," she continued. "We must continue to push for more annual funding for our schools to reduce class size and restore more of the 28 percent of funds they cut from education over the last decade."

Additional Press of Interest:

• Educators Say Oklahoma Teacher Salary Increase Bill Is Too Little Too Late
   
• In Oklahoma Schools, Bosses Are Helping Teachers Go On Strike
   
• Teacher Rebellion Hits Oklahoma, Grows In Arizona

Michigan Finds Holes After “Fake Phishing” 5,000 State Employees’ Email Accounts

Hawaii Gets Hacked For Real

To test Michigan’s state government email security, state auditors recently “fake phished” 5,000 state employee email accounts, and, alarmingly, nearly one-third of the emails were opened.

Phishing schemes—in which hackers try to deceive email recipients by posing as legitimate entities—can lead to identity theft and other problems. The topic of the Michigan auditors’ phishing email was about an expired password.

From a March 16 Associated Press story:

Auditors made 14 findings, including five that are "material" — the most serious. They range from inadequate management of firewalls to insufficient processes to confirm if only authorized devices are connected to the network.

"Unauthorized devices may not meet the state’s requirements, increasing the risk of compromise or infection of the network," the audit said.

The audit, which covered a three-year period between 2014 and 2017, said the state did not fully establish and implement an effective process for managing updates to network devices’ operating systems. Ten high- or medium-severity vulnerabilities were identified.

Hawaii Hacked!

KFVE television reports on March 28 that computers in the state’s Agriculture and Human Services agencies were recently targeted by hackers but internal alarms were triggered to prevent a widespread issue, “limiting the damage to just the affected employees’ inboxes.”

A Hawaii official admits that two successful hacks in one weekend is alarming and adds the state depends on employees to be the last line of defense, saying, "We can throw a lot of technology at it but at the end of the day, the best defense is relying on our users by educating them.”