Environmental Testing Prompts Evacuation Of State-Leased Building In
St. Johnsbury

From a March 28 memo sent to impacted employees who work in the building(s) in question:

Some of the chemicals identified may pose a potential risk to human health. Indoor air quality has not yet been sampled to determine if a risk currently exists.

Air quality testing will be conducted and begin as soon as tomorrow. A forum will be held on Tuesday April 4, which is when the State expects to have preliminary test results back. A time and location in St. Johnsbury will be announced. In the interim, a conference call will be held tomorrow afternoon, for the employees who work in the affected buildings, to communicate available information. Conference call details will be disseminated as soon as finalized.

When leaving the buildings today, employees should take any portable equipment and personal belongings needed in the coming days. Mission critical employees will be notified and relocated by Friday, March 31, and other employees will be notified as soon as alternate locations have been identified.

Employees should check with their supervisors for specific instructions or questions.

WIA understands that the owner of the State-leased building in St. Johnsbury is in the process of trying to sell it, so preliminary environmental testing was conducted, and the results were what triggered the evacuation.

Note: Needless to say, VSEA will be closely monitoring any and all developments around this potential sick-building case, and your union will be sharing whatever is learned with the workers impacted by this new finding. VSEA representatives will be attending the April 4 briefing.

NMU Sick Leave Bank Teetering On Bankruptcy! VSEA Members Urged To Contribute

Donations Being Accepted
April 1 To June 30

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

House Budget Overwhelmingly Passes And Now Moves To The Senate

Here is VSEA Strategic Analyst Adam Norton’s overview of the budget passed by the House and its impact on VSEA members:

Windsor Work Camp — The Southeast Correctional Facility in Windsor will remain in operation through FY18. The Corrections and Institutions Committee identified alternative savings by expanding the use of electronic monitoring, which was adopted by House Appropriations and will allow for the continued operation of the Windsor Work Camp.

Vermont Veterans’ Home (VVH) — The VVH avoided the budget axe for another year, however $259,000 in overtime costs were removed from VVH’s budget. The reduction in projected overtime costs in FY18 is an attempt by the Appropriations Committee to reduce the VVH’s call-out rate to an erroneous national average provided to them by VVH management. VSEA will attempt to have this language removed in the Senate, or in FY18 budget adjustment.

Department of Libraries (DL) — The DL found itself again under the scrutiny of the House Appropriations Committee. Fortunately, the DL was spared any budgetary reductions after the Committee learned that any cut to state funding will jeopardize federal funds, which are a third of the DL’s budget.

Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT)— VSEA’s Corrections Educators were successful in their fight to keep the Community High School of Vermont operating. While the CHSVT will continue to function in its current form, the Appropriations Committee accepted the Education Committee’s recommendation to level fund the CHSVT, eliminating $455,000 in vacancy savings from the CHSVT budget.

AHS Structural Savings — The Appropriations Committee adopted a $1.5 million reduction to the AHS budget. The budget language instructs the AHS Secretary to identify $1.5 million in savings through restructuring or administrative efficiencies. This is in addition to the $1 million reduction outlined in the Governor’s FY18 budget proposal.

Judiciary Reclassification — The Appropriations Committee calls for full funding of the prospective reclassification of Docket Clerks, Court Room Operators and Court Security. Unfortunately, the committee did not allocate the $324,000 necessary to fund the retroactive piece of the workers’ reclassification puzzle. VSEA is seeking to include the retroactive funds in the Senate budget bill.

Windsor Work Camp—The Southeast Correctional Facility in Windsor Vermont will remain in operation through FY18. The Corrections and Institutions Committee identified alternative savings by expanding the use of electronic monitoring, which was adopted by House Appropriations, and will allow for the continued operation of the Windsor Work Camp.

Update! Thanks to calls and messages to House members this morning from VSEA members, an amendment that would have closed the Windsor Prison was withdrawn before a vote could be conducted. That’s in large part due to VSEA member activism. Thanks for the help!

Vermont State Colleges (VSC) — The Appropriations Committee was forced to scrap the State’s recommended $4 million funding increase to the VSC after Legislative Council warned the committee that the funding source (the level funding of K-12 school budgets), was likely unconstitutional. The committee instead opted to raid the Higher Education Trust Fund for $2 million to provide the VSC some revenue to ensure its continued operation through FY18. In the meantime, the committee will try to determine if the distribution of State higher-education funding between UVM and the VSC is equitable. Additionally, the committee found another $880,000 in one-time money to fund the merger and branding of Lyndon and Johnson State Colleges.

Pay Act — Pay Act funding remains intact to pay for members’ negotiated contractual raises of 2.25% and cover state employees’ step increases in the coming fiscal year. The committee did adopt the State’s proposal to cut $3.5 million by cutting seventeen positions in the AHS and DOC Central Offices.

Hiring State Employees Saves Money — The committee approved continuing the successful “Position Pilot Program,” which allows certain departments and agencies to hire more classified employees and reduce their reliance on temporary workers and mandatory overtime. The committee adopted the State’s recommendation to convert $1.9 million in overtime and temp savings into 29 Correctional Officer positions. This would reduce the need for mandatory overtime and lessen turnover. The committee found $1 million in net savings by hiring four additional nurses to manage dual Medicaid- and Medicare-eligible caseloads for DVHA. Additionally, the committee booked an additional $250,000 in net savings by hiring eight additional state employees to manage coordination of care, and reduce fraud in the Medicaid program.

Column In Valley News Supports DOC Community High School Funding & Staffing, Not Cutting Or Eliminating Program

The constant need for these frontline workers to have to defend what they know to be a quality public service is not lost on Valley News Columnist Jim Kenyon, who penned a piece in the paper this week, titled “Former Inmates Find a Teaching Moment Testifying in State House.” In the column, Kenyon openly questions why lawmakers and State officials always seem so eager to go after a service so important to the rehabilitation of Vermont offenders.

Here are two excerpts from the piece, which VSEA’s lobbying team has been sharing with lawmakers:

“[Earle] Rogers and two other former inmates were in Montpelier to talk about Community High School of Vermont. The school operates in the state’s seven prisons and at eight probation and parole offices. Classes range from architecture to personal finance. The hope was that hearing from former inmates might persuade some key lawmakers that supporting the school was in the state’s best interest — even in a tight budget year. The school’s $3.3 million annual budget, which includes about $225,000 in federal money, accounts for less than 2 percent of the overall corrections budget.”

&

“In recent years, state budget cuts have reduced the school’s staff from 51 to 37 employees. Along with legislators, the Department of Corrections hasn’t made the school much of a priority. DOC officials are so concerned with maintaining order in the state’s prisons that it often forgets — or ignores — the rehabilitative aspect of incarceration. Inmates don’t have a lot of advocates in Montpelier. It’s simpler, although not cheaper, to spend $62,000 a year to keep a guy behind bars than to invest in educational programs that might not always pay off.”

CHSVT Service Reminder!

The CHSVT workers’ fight has been going on for many years, but some VSEA members might forget what it is exactly these workers do, so WIA is sharing this brief description of the service as a refresher to any member who might want to lobby on behalf of the CHSVT workers.

“The CHSVT is an accredited independent high school by the Vermont State Board of Education, and recognized as an International Habits of Mind Learning Community of Excellence by the Institute for Habits of Mind. CHSVT primarily serves those currently under supervision of the Vermont Departments of Corrections.

Whether working toward a high school diploma or seeking to improve skills, CHSVT is a place that offers students the opportunity to:

• Obtain reading, writing, and math skills necessary in the 21^st Century;
• Acquire life and vocational skills;
• Experience structured and disciplined study as the norm;
• Have a genuine opportunity to complete high school;
• Master the essential skills necessary to be a productive citizen, including daily habits of attendance, learning and responsibility; and
• Integrate community-based educational services, job opportunities and job training to support the transition of individuals back to Vermont communities

Still Time To Sign The VSEA “Respect State Employees” Petition!

VSEA is conducting a big push right now to collect as many frontline worker signatures as possible. If you have yet to sign this important petition, you can do so here.

Thanks in advance for your support!

House Passes Bill To Protect Workers’ Social Media Privacy

“I’m very pleased the House passed H.462,” the bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Matthew Hill of Wolcott, tells Digger. “It provides social media privacy for employees and provides guidance on how to handle a sensitive situation for employers. This bill is a very small, but important, step in bringing Vermont into the 21st century.”

Open Enrollment Period Is Soon To Participate In VSEA’s Popular Delta Dental Supplemental Plan Benefit

Once received in your mailbox, all enrollment forms will be due back to VSEA by Friday, May 12, 2017.

Note: If you are already taking advantage of this benefit, and you have no changes this year to your coverage, you do not need to send back a new form, as you will be automatically renewed.

Learn more about VSEA Insurance Benefits online here!

VSEA Seeks Union Organizer

Areas of Responsibility Include:

• Leadership Development – Identify existing leaders within VSEA and build relationships with those members through the work of building the union; Identify and recruit members to fill leadership roles within the structure of VSEA; Educate members on ways in which they can talk to their colleagues about the union, develop effective strategies to identify issues, use direct action to make workplace improvements, and staff Labor/Management Committees;
• Support VSEA’s Broader Organizational Goals and Activities – Facilitate turnout to events, trainings and meetings; Support key legislative, political, and community and workplace actions as outlined by the VSEA Strategic Plan;
• Identify Member Issues & Move a Plan of Action: Meet with members to discuss current issues of importance; Work to develop and execute a clear work plan around the issues;
• Increase Union Membership: Demonstrate success in signing up fee payer and new employees as VSEA members while engaging union activists and leaders in the process of signing up new members; and
• Communication with Members: Be a frequent worksite presence in worksites, holding face-to-face conversations with VSEA leaders, activists and rank-and-file members; Provide the VSEA Communications Department with regular updates on internal and external organizing efforts; and
• Update VSEA bulletin boards in worksites by providing activists and leaders with updated materials as often as possible.

VSEA seeks to interview dynamic candidates with a track record of commitment to the labor movement and preferably two (2) years of experience as a union or political organizer. Any applicant must have reliable transportation as daily in-state travel is expected. Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to submit their resume and a cover letter detailing their labor or political experience to Rstout@VSEA.org. Exceptional candidates will be scheduled for an interview.

Reminder: VSEA Membership Recruitment Committee Sponsoring 2017 Recruitment Drive. Prizes Being Awarded!

Here are the guidelines to participate and be eligible for a prize:

• Whether submitting your recruited member(s) name(s)on a physical recruitment card or online, you must include your name as the recruiter;
• Every member who recruits a new member will has his or her name entered into a drawing for the Grand Prize. The winner’s name will be drawn at VSEA’s Annual Meeting in September 2017, and the winner must be present to claim the prize;
• Team entries are being accepted. Please register with Membership Recruitment Committee Chair Katelyn Chase by emailing her at kchase@vsea.org.
• Members who recruit a new member, who then agrees to join your union’s political awareness committee (VTPAC) will receive an additional chance to win the Grand Prize, and
• The cut-off date for this competition is August 30, 2017.

Here are the different prize levels:

• $10 gift card and a VSEA water bottle (75 prizes awarded)
• $25 gift card and a VSEA hat
  (40 prizes awarded)
• $50 gift card and a VSEA tote bag
  (15 prizes awarded)
• $100 and a VSEA vest
  (8 prizes awarded)
• 1 Grand Prize of $1200

Note: WIA is periodically reminding members about this effort until its culmination in August 2017.

VSEA Organizer’s Upcoming Worksite Meetings

Snacks and refreshments are provided.

St. Johnsbury

AHS Conference Room
DOH
107 Eastern Ave.

• April 11
• May 9

Brattleboro

Room 148
State Office Building
232 Main Street

• May 12
• June 9

White River Junction

Room 170
State Office Building
118 Prospect Street

• April 18
• May 16
• June 20

Springfield

First Floor Conference Room
State Office Building
100 Mineral Street

• April 19
• May 17
• June 21

VSEA Winter/ Spring Training Schedule

If you are interested in registering to attend one or more of the remaining trainings, you can do so by clicking here. Please direct your training questions to Tim at tlenoch@vsea.org.

All trainings begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m.

Location may change based on worksite location of registered participants. If this happens, registered participants will be notified at least a week ahead of the training. Mileage and lunch may be reimbursed or provided.

TARGETED DEPARTMENT/ BARGAINING UNIT TRAININGS

Vermont State Colleges’ Stewards

VTC Campus, Randolph Center
Thursday, April 6

Judiciary Stewards

VTrans Training Center, 1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Tuesday, April 11

NEW STEWARD TRAININGS

Steward 2: Protecting the Contract and Building the Union

VTrans Training Center
1716 US Rte. 302, Berlin
Thursday, May 16

Click here to register for a training(s)!