VSEA At Worksites To Talk Tentative Agreement & Pension Fight

Important! The meeting schedule is subject to change, pending the scheduling of a ratification vote.

Here are the upcoming meetings:

• November 6, Springfield – 100 Mineral Street, Shared First Floor Conference Room – 12:00 p.m. View flyer
   
• November 7, Montpelier – 155 State Street, Leithead Board Room – 5:00 p.m. View flyer
   
• November 13, Morrisville – 63 Professional Drive, Shared Conference Room – 12:00 p.m. View flyer
   
• November 14, White River Junction – 118 Prospect Street, First Floor Conference Room – 12:00 p.m. View flyer

Learn More:

• View the "VSEA Retirement Security Fact Sheet" online

Executive Branch Unit Bargaining Teams Finalizing Ratification Ballot 

• View contact information for your VSEA Bargaining Unit here.

You’re Invited To VT Retiree Group’s Upcoming “Fueling Senior Power” Forum 

• Former Vermont Gov. Madeline Kunin;
• Richard Fiesta, National Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, talking about seniors’ congressional issues in Washington; and
• Rep. Dan Noyes, talking about seniors’ legislative issues in Vermont issues. 

Particulars: 

• Saturday, November 9
• Registration begins at 9:00 a.m.;
• Forum begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 1:00 p.m.;
• $5 fee covers coffee & "goodies", a light lunch, and plenty of handouts; and
• At the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, located at 130 Main St.

Please RSVP to Jane Osgatharp, annajaneo@aol.com or 802-229-0850

Organizer Job Opening At VSEA HQ!

Position: VSEA Union Organizer

General Work Performed:

The union organizer reports to the Director of Organizing and the Executive Director. 

The job of the union organizer at the Vermont State Employees’ Association is to build the organization by recruiting new members, as well as identifying new activists and leaders and work with these members to develop the skills needed to play an active role in building a power through their union. In addition to building new leadership within VSEA, the union organizer is expected to support those members who currently hold leadership positions within the union. 

The union organizer must work with members to identity key issues impacting their daily lives, both in and out of the workplace, and engage in the development and execution of an action plan that engages members to take action on improving their existing situation. 

Specific Areas of Responsibility

The VSEA union organizer’s work will include:

Leadership Development

• Identify existing leaders within VSEA and build relationships with those members through the work of building the union
• Identifying and recruiting members to fill leadership roles within the structure of VSEA
• Assigning and following up with members on work that leads to the growth of their union or a win on a given issue
• Educate and support members on ways in which they can talk to their colleagues about the union, effective strategies for identifying issues and using direct action to make improvements
• Work with the VSEA Labor Educator to have input into membership training needs and curriculum

Support VSEA’s broader organization goals and activities

• Turnout to events, trainings and meetings
• Participating on key legislative, community and workplace issues as outlined by the VSEA Strategic Plan

Identify Key Issues for Members and Move Plan of Action

• Meet with members to discuss current issues that are of importance
• Assess whether direct action can affect the current situation
• Work with members to develop a clear work plan around the issue and execute such a plan
• Coordinate communications, admin, legal and field rep support as needed 
• Become proficient in leadership ID and mapping out social relationships of a worksite and within the broader union

 Increase Union Membership

• Demonstrates proficiency in a basic organizing conversation
• Proven success in signing up fee payer and new employees as VSEA members
• Engages union activists and leaders in the process of signing up new members

Communicates with Members

• Have regular and frequent 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
• Update VSEA bulletin boards in worksites by providing activists and leaders with updated materials as often as possible. 

Record Keeping

• Charting and mapping out worksites and support
• Keeping up-to-date lists and records in the database
• Reporting progress to the organizing team, VSEA staff and the Director of Organizing, along with openly communicating and brainstorming around the existing challenges 
• Completing accurate timesheets, expense reports and mileage reimbursements

Other Duties as Assigned

The activities by which we do this and the emphasis on different parts of that process may shift throughout the year, but those goals and a core set of responsibilities should remain relatively consistent. Union organizers will works as a team and with field representatives and the rest of the staff. They will also work independently at times. The population of workers may be fluid between existing VSEA members and non-union workers, depending on external campaign needs. 

Environmental Factors

• This position is based out of the VSEA Headquarters in Montpelier, although the union organizer’s work will require travel to worksites and locations across the state on a regular basis. 
• The VSEA Union Organizer will be required to work long and irregular hours and will receive compensation for over 40 hours as determined by the collective bargaining agreement between the Staff Alliance and the VSEA. 

Brattleboro Chapter Participating In Coat Drive

Chapter President Robin Rieske says all coats will be collected on November 15, and all sizes are welcome.

To donate your gently worn coats, please leave them at Robin’s office, which is located at the Department of Health in Brattleboro. Robin will take all collected coats to the Community Hope and Action Harvest Potluck in Townshend on November 16.

For more information, call Robin at (802) 275-7232.  

VSEA Circulating Petition To Increase Funding For State Colleges

Here’s what the petition says:
 

Tentative Agreement / Pension Meetings:

• Springfield
  Wednesday, November 6
  100 Mineral Street
  Shared First Floor Conference Room
  Springfield
  12:00 p.m.
   
• Montpelier
  Thursday, November 7

  155 State Street
  Leithead Conference Room
  Montpelier
  5:00 p.m.

Chapter Meeting:

• Franklin / Grand Isle
  Monday, November 4
  Mimmo’s
  22 South Main Street
  St. Albans
  5:00 p.m.

Organizer’s Worksite Meeting:

• Global Foundries
  Wednesday, November 6
  1000 River  Street
  Spruce Conference Room
  Essex
  12:00 p.m.

Chicago Teachers Settle. Strike Ends. 

From the story:
 

The union ultimately agreed to accept a compromise to make up five school days. But leaders weren’t happy about it. They expressed frustration with the mayor for refusing to make up the full 11 days teachers have been on strike.

Of those 25,000 union members, Sharkey said: “They don’t need to see me smiling with the mayor. In fact what they need to see is they need to see we have a tentative agreement, we now have a return to work agreement. … Frankly it’s been hard on teachers to be out this long, and it’s been hard on parents to be out this long. It’s been hard on our students.“And so I just didn’t feel like doing a celebration lap with the mayor right now,” he said. “It’s not what our members need to be looking at. That’s not what people in the city need to be seeing.”

Despite the late hiccup over the makeup days, union officials said they were overall pleased with what’s in the tentative agreement, while the mayor called it the most generous contract in CPS history.

Teamsters Refused To Cross Chicago Teachers’ Picket Lines

Note: There’s a tentative agreement now, so it’s back to business as usual for Chicago Teamsters members, but WIA wanted to share this story of solidarity with VSEA members. 

The Chicago Tribune recently published a story about how Teamsters members across the city were refusing to cross the picket lines of striking Chicago teachers, as they entered their third week on strike. 

From the story:

When Teamsters Local 705 official Juan Campos heard that the Chicago Teachers Union was going on strike, his first reaction was to text union stewards, reminding them that Teamsters honor strike lines of other labor groups.

“Our drivers are not delivering any goods across any picket lines that are manned by the teachers,” Campos said. He noted they do have to abide by the law, which means if there’s no line, they must deliver.

UAW Members Ratify New Agreement

The workers’ new contract contains some significant union victories: every worker will receive a signing bonus of US $11,000, and the two-tier labor system has effectively been abolished. The contract also includes performance bonuses, annual raises, lump sum payments and maintains health care coverage. The strong stance by the workers was however not enough to move GM from its plans to shut plants.

Another Take: Opinions Differ On Outcome Of GM Strike