Election Day 2016 Is Tuesday, November 8!

Don’t Forget To Vote

Don’t forget (how could you really?) that Tuesday, November 8, is Election Day 2016. Please cast your votes for the candidates who are committed to protecting Vermont’s quality public services and the men and women who provide them daily. Go here to review a full listing of VSEA-endorsed candidates.

Also, the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office is making it easy for Vermonters to educate themselves, prior to voting on November 8. If you aren’t sure where your polling place is or want to see a sample ballot to better prepare, then visit the Secretary of State’s online “My Voter Page.”

Relocation Creates Open Seat On VSEA Board Of Trustees

VSEA member Sawyer Joecks informed headquarters this week that a change in his work location was forcing him to have to step down from his District 2 seat on the VSEA Board of Trustees. This means the District 2 seat, which includes Waterbury and the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin, is currently open. To be eligible for this seat, interested members must reside or have an assigned workstation in District 2.

All interested members must obtain the signatures of 25 or more full-fledged VSEA members on a petition, which is due to headquarters by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, December 5, 2016.

> Find a copy of the petition here.

ERN Announces More Bargaining Team Election Winners

While WIA was going to print last week, VSEA’s Elections, Rules and Nominating Committee was at headquarters, conducting a recount in two close races for seats on the NMU’s Bargaining Team.

Here are the winners we can report now, in addition to those announced last week:

Non-Management Unit

Caseworkers’ Seat: Aimee Towne (DCF)
Health Services Seat: Karen Tendrup (VVH)

> View previously announced results here

Run-Off Ballots Go Out To Judiciary Members

The VSEA Elections, Rules and Nominating Committee recently mailed run-off ballots to Judiciary members to decide the winner of the election to the Bargaining Team’s final seat. Judiciary members Penny Hogan and Deb Stevens received an equal number of votes in the first election, so a run-off election is being conducted.

The deadline to vote is November 18, at 4:30 p.m. Ballots must be returned to VSEA by 4:30 on November 18.

VSEA First Vice President Looking To Fill Vacant Council Seats

VSEA First Vice President Aimee Towne is casting a net to try to fill several open seats on the VSEA Council. With more than 120 VSEA members, the VSEA Council is one of your union’s primary governing bodies and its largest and most diverse, with departmental representatives from across state government. The Council meets quarterly and retains a right to override decisions made by the VSEA Board of Trustees.

The following Council seats (by departmental heading) are currently open, and interested VSEA members are urged to self nominate:

Aging and Independent Living – 2 seats available

Agriculture

Auditor of Accounts

Buildings and General Services – 3 seats available

Children and Families – 2 seats available

ACCD/Economic Development

ACCD/Marketing and Tourism

Commission on Women

Criminal Justice Training Council

Defender General

DVHA

Education||

Environmental Conservation

Finance and Management

Financial Regulation

Forests and Parks

AHS/Rate Setting & Auditing

AHS/IT Unit

Judiciary

Labor

Library

Liquor Control

Lottery

Mental Health

Military

ANR

Public Safety – Civilian – 3 seats available

Public Service Board

Public Service Department

Secretary of State

Tax Department

Transportation – 2 seats available

Transportation Agency/DMV – 2 seats available

Treasurer’s Office

> You can find a self-nominating form by clicking here. (opens/ downloads as a PDF)

Questions? Please contact VSEA Administrative Assistant Ayla Hudson at 802-223-5247, or by email at ahudson@vsea.org.

Treasurer Calls For Full Funding Of Pensions

The Times Argus reports on November 4 that State Treasurer Beth Pearce is recommending that the state set aside $52,065,396 to fully fund state employee and teacher pension plans. Pearce says the amount “would cover annual contributions and continue on a course to have the state employees’ pension system retire all of its unfunded liabilities by 2038.” She adds that not all of the $52 million recommended ARC payment would come from the state’s general fund, saying she expects the state will need to contribute between 36 percent and 40 percent of that number from the general fund.

The Shumlin Administration took a pass on whether or not it supports the Treasurer’s allocation, instead deferring the decision to whoever is elected governor on Tuesday.

Vermont Superior Court Judge Rules That The Records Of A Private Contractor Doing Work For The State Are Public

The Associated Press reports on November 3 that Washington County Superior Judge Mary Miles Teachout recently ruled that records belonging to private vendor Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL) are “public,” which is a victory for Vermonters with questions about some of the deals the State enters into with various private contractors. The ruling was prompted by a Vermont citizen’s request for VITL records related to its management of medical records for the State. VITL initially denied the citizen’s request, saying it is a private, non-profit firm, but the judge disagreed and ruled that VITL is the “functional equivalent” of a public agency.

VTDigger supplemented the AP story on November 4, publishing these comments from Judge Miles about why she ruled the way the did:

“VITL is the functional equivalent of a public agency for purposes of Vermont’s Public Records Act.” She then references a series of laws passed between 2005 and 2015 that controlled different aspects of what VITL does.

“VITL is and always has been nearly exclusively funded by or through the state. The Legislature has always controlled substantial aspects of what VITL does, the composition of its board, some of its internal policies, how it interfaces with the state, and how the state will interface with it. VITL was not created exclusively by the state, but the appearance is that it likely never would have been created without the state’s involvement, and continuing state involvement appears to be vital to its ongoing existence and functioning.”

The judge said she would hold a status conference soon to determine what will happen next.

Note: In 2010, WIA reported on a similar ruling from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Here’s a snippet from that piece:

In April 2007, a prisoners’ rights publication called Prison Legal News went to court to try to force Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) to turn over documents on lawsuits and complaints against the company. CCA maintained that because it was a private corporation, it was not subject to Tennessee’s open-record laws, but the court disagreed with CCA and instructed the company to turn over the records. CCA appealed the decision to the state’s Supreme Court, but this week the court declined to hear the company’s appeal. In fact, Appeals Judge Michael Swiney felt so strongly about the case that he wrote in his opinion “With all due respect to CCA, this Court is at a loss as to how operating a prison could be considered anything less than a governmental function.” Prison Legal News’ Alex Friedmann told AP the ruling was a positive development “because taxpayers have a right to know how CCA is spending their money.

VSEA Sponsoring A New Year’s Eve Trip To See Disney On Ice In Boston!

On the heels of successful VSEA “NASCAR Day” and “Day at Fenway” events, VSEA’s Membership Recruitment Committee is now scheduling a “VSEA Disney on Ice” event for interested members and your families.

The performance is New Year’s Eve, December 31, at 3:00 p.m. at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.

The package price is $60 per member/family member and that includes your ticket and transportation to and from the arena.

A chartered bus will pick members up members at:

9:00 a.m. – Waterbury
10:00 a.m. – White River Junction
10:30 a.m. – Springfield Park & Ride

Here’s a synopsis of the show: Experience Disney’s hilarious hair-raising escapade, Tangled; as Rapunzel, her unlikely companion, Flynn, and Maximus, embark on an uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths! Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in a magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss. And fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true. All your favorite princesses take to the ice in a spectacular finale at the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime! Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream comes to your hometown!

Questions? Contact VSEA Union Rep Bob South (bsouth@vsea.org) or Administrative Assistant Susan Devoid (sdevoid@vsea.org).

> Register For VSEA’s “Disney On Ice” Here!

Updated! VSEA Members Invited To Alliance For Retired Americans 12^th Annual Conference

The Vermont Chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans (VT ARA) is holding its annual conference on Saturday, November 12, and VSEA retirees and members are invited to attend. The feature topic of this year’s VT ARA conference is “Health Care For All: The Vermont Way,” and speakers include Dr. Deb Richter, Paul Cillo and Ellen Oxfeld.

Conference participants are invited to help shape the future of health care in Vermont. Guest presenters will address the confusion surrounding the proposed “All Payer and Accountable Care Organization” model the state is considering. The VT ARA is inviting participants to help develop the organization’s 2017 health care goals and then strategize about how best to achieve them. Individuals and organizations are invited to attend and become engaged!

The official meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. and ends at 2:00 p.m. It’s being held at the McClure Multigenerational Center at 241 North Winooski Avenue in Burlington.

Conference Registration is $15 per person or $20 for 2 and includes morning refreshments. The cost of lunch is $10, and membership in the Vermont Alliance for Retired Americans is $10 per year. For information or to register, contact Jane Osgatharp, President: annajaneo@aol.com or (802) 229-0850.

California State Workers Conducting Strike Authorization Vote

After six months of futile contract talks, which finally led to impasse, more than 95,000 SEIU Local 1000 state employees began voting this week on strike authorization. Like VSEA, Local 1000 represents state employees in many agencies and departments, including IT workers, nurses, administrative and clerical staff, and DMV and Corrections workers.

From a story about the possible strike:
“The state’s latest offer includes a meager 2.96 percent salary increase during the first year that will be more than offset by its demand for a 3.5 percent increase to employee retiree health care contributions. Wages would then increase under the state’s offer by 12 percent over the subsequent four years. This inadequate offer, which amounts to a wage freeze or even a wage cut when inflation is taken into account, comes in spite of the fact that the state has experienced its third annual budget surplus in a row after nearly eight years of deficit. In fact, successive state administrations were able to “resolve” the state’s budget crises entirely on the backs of workers and especially on state workers who have seen their incomes and living standards drop precipitously.”

VSEA Offering Discounted Long-Term Care Insurance To Members

VSEA President Dave Bellini sent an email to members yesterday, announcing a new and valuable benefit for VSEA members. Your union is partnering with National Long-Term Care Brokers (NYLTCB) to offer Long-Term Care Insurance with discounted premiums.

The program is subject to medical underwriting and insurability is not guaranteed.

Some reasons people plan ahead for Long-Term Care:

• To protect retirement assets and pension income;
• To prevent Medicaid spend down (impoverishment);
• To ensure options for health care; and
• To avoid being a burden to loved ones.

As a VSEA member, this offering is made available to you and your eligible family members with a permanent discount, not available to the general public. Eligible family members include spouses/domestic partners, adult children and parents/parents-in-law.

You will have access to a dedicated Long-Term Care planning specialist to help determine if coverage is appropriate for you, and compare policies from different insurance companies to ensure the best coverage at the most competitive premium.

For more information please call NYLTCB to free at (800) 695-8224 Ext 137 or visit http://nyltcb.com/vsea/

Subscribe To VSEA!

VSEA’s Communications Department is happy to disseminate any and all communications the leadership, Chapters, Units, and others request, however, the lists the Department currently pull from are provided to the union by the State of Vermont. VSEA’s Communications Department has found the lists to be dated, incomplete and sometimes lacking key information that was entered by a VSEA staff person but later overwritten or deleted during a State data dump.

To help VSEA more effectively reach active members—and really all those members who want to know what’s going on in their union—VSEA will be working hard in the coming months to collect members’ emails on its own and begin to build contact lists that cannot be altered by a State download.

You can help us get started by clicking here and signing up for the VSEA communications you are interested in receiving.

Thank you in advance for subscribing. Please urge your colleagues to do the same.