Tonight Is The VTPAC Event To Honor Its 20^th Anniversary!

A reminder that VSEA’s “Vermont Political Awareness Committee” is hosting a special event tonight to celebrate its 20-year anniversary and honor longtime VSEA friend, Senator Anthony Pollina and several other “labor heroes.”

VTPAC is sponsoring a happy hour, prior to the main event, beginning at 4:30 p.m. All VSEA members who attend will receive one free drink ticket.

VTPAC’s 20^th Anniversary Celebration
Friday, October 21

Vermont Granite Museum
(View map here)
7 Jones Brother Way
Barre

If you are an existing VTPAC member, meaning you currently contribute to your union’s PAC through payroll deduction, you are cordially invited to attend the event free of charge. For members and others who don’t currently belong to VTPAC, there is a suggested contribution at the door. Members can also contribute to VTPAC prior to the event here.

This event will feature food, drinks, music and live sculpting demonstration by local Vermont artist Heather Milne Ritchie.

Results Of VSEA General Election “Endorsement Survey” Online

VSEA was alerted this week about some recent discussions on social media, concerning which candidates for statewide office VSEA members supported in a recent general election "endorsement survey." In an effort to address some of the misinformation being floated, here are the official results of that survey for all members and the public to see.

Don’t Forget To Vote On Tuesday, November 8!

VSEA Strategic Analyst’s "Right To Work (For Less)" Presentation Now Available Online

VSEA Strategic Analyst Adam Norton’s presentation on everything wrong with America’s so-called “Right-to-Work” movement was so well received at VSEA’s Annual Meeting that Norton is now fulfilling requests to give the presentation to Chapters. Adam is pictured here delivering his presentation last week to the Bennington Chapter.

Norton’s “Right To Work (For Less)” presentation is a must-view for all state employees who are concerned about the move across America to bust unions and hasten the race to the bottom for workers. Please share this presentation with interested colleagues.

> View Bullet Points From Norton’s Presentation Here!

Central Vermont Chapter Hosting Member Appreciation Event At 133 State Street

​Central Vermont Chapter President Cassandra Edson is inviting all members belonging to the Chapter to attend a special Member Appreciation event on Tuesday, October 25, in the main lobby of the 133 State Street Building in Montpelier. The event begins at 11:00 a.m. and continues until 1:30 p.m. All full-fledged members will receive a special gift and there will be free cider and doughnuts available.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders Hosting Series Of Get-Out-The-Vote Rallies This Weekend

Vermont Senator and U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is conducting a series of get-out-the vote rallies across Vermont this weekend, and VSEA members are invited to attend. Sanders will be rallying with a host of Vermont statewide candidates who have been endorsed by VSEA. Sanders says the goal of his rallies is to energize Vermont voters and share his and other candidates’ vision for the future.

Friday, October 21
Vermont College of Fine Arts
Alumni Hall
Montpelier
6:30 p.m.

RSVP Here

Saturday, October 22

Vergennes Union High School
Vergennes
10:30 a.m.

RSVP Here

Saturday, October 22

Mount Anthony Middle School
Bennington
3:00 p.m.

RSVP Here

Saturday, October 22
Vermont Farmers’ Food Center 
Rutland
6:00 p.m.

RSVP Here

Sunday, October 23
UVM
 Davis Center
Grand Maple Ballroom
Burlingto
10:30 a.m.

RSVP Here

Vermont Veterans’ Home One Of Vermont And The Nation’s Best

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its ratings of the nation’s nursing homes this week, and the Vermont Veterans’ Home received a five-star rating; a coveted distinction only 15 percent of the nation’s nursing homes receive. Read the VVH rating here.

“The staff at the Vermont Veterans’ Home works extremely hard to ensure Vermont’s veterans are receiving the best care possible in the best setting possible, and this rating shows that they are succeeding,” says VSEA Communication Director Doug Gibson. “Considering how few nursing homes nationwide earn a five-star rating, it makes you wonder why some elected officials and lawmakers continue to want to privatize this top-flight facility.”

CMS implemented its “Five-Star Quality Rating System on Nursing Home Compare” in December 2008, assigning each individual nursing home a rating based on: quality of care delivered; direct care staffing levels; and the results of annual healthcare inspections conducted by each state’s department of health.

VSEA Reminds Corrections & Law Enforcement Members About Legal Defense Fund Opportunity

VSEA sent a message this week to its Corrections and law enforcement members, informing them that now is the time to decide whether or not their work site wants to adopt 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. As is explained in the message, before the program can be implemented, more than half the employees at each worksite must indicate their support for it, via an online survey. Once all qualifying work sites are identified, VSEA will begin scheduling informational meetings for members at the individual work sites.

Thanks in advance for your attention to this important survey. If you are a VSEA Corrections or law enforcement member who did not receive the survey message this week, please email vsea@vsea.org to receive the link. Write “legal defense” in the subject line please.

Meeting For VSEA Members In The Zampieri State Office Building Is October 27!

VSEA member John Davy asked WIA to remind members working at the Zampieri State Office Building that there will be an employee meeting on Thursday, October 27, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in Conference Room 3A at 108 Cherry Street in Burlington. Topics of discussion include: 2016 election and VSEA endorsements, contract status update and the need for new NMU steward at 108 Cherry.

Questions/Comments? Please contact John Davy at john.davy@vermont.gov.

Have You Signed The Judiciary Workers’ Petition?

VSEA’s Judiciary workers are still embroiled in tough negotiations with the Court Administrator and the Unit is currently waiting for a fact finder’s report to be released.

California Nurses Cheer Passage Of New Regulations To Prevent Workplace Violence In Health Care Settings

California nurses are cheering an October 20 unanimous vote by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to approve “nation-leading” regulations to prevent workplace violence in health care settings.

“This is a landmark day for the entire country, as California has now set the bar with the strongest workplace violence regulation in the nation,” says Bonnie Castillo, RN and director of health and safety for the California Nurses’ Association.

“The most important goal of [the new regulations] is to prevent physical harm from ever occurring in the first place,” adds Paula Lyn, an RN at Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. “Today, the fear we face in the workplace is not just the fear that violent situations will arise, but the fear that we will not be prepared when they do. The inclusion of comprehensive and robust training requirements in these regulations is the best way to ensure that everyone is prepared.”

National research shows that health care workers are at a “substantially higher” risk of workplace violence than the average worker. In 2013, for example, private-sector hospital workers were five times more likely to take time off of work because of an injury caused by violence than a typical private-sector worker.

Workplace safety standards already exist in California, but the new Cal/OSHA rules are specifically designed to prevent violence. Health care employees would help assess workplace risks, and the resulting injury prevention plans will address their concerns, union sources say.

California Public Pension Ruling Could Reverberate Nationwide

Several media outlets are reporting this week on an upcoming California Supreme Court decision that could “end public pensions as we know them.” The Court is deciding on an earlier Appeals Court ruling that declared public-employee pensions were not “immutable” because employees only required a “reasonable” pension. If the Supreme Court upholds the Appeal Court’s decision, public employees will be able to keep the benefits they had earned, but they would not be able to calculate their pension on the highest seniority grade they made or the greatest number of years of service. This also would stop the common practice of public employees maximizing overtime in their last 2 years of employment to spike benefits.

Now, you would think California judges would be opposed to any decision to alter the existing system because they are also enrolled in the public employee pension plan, but Gov. Jerry Brown took care of them and them alone. “Brown cleverly exempted the treatment of California judges’ pensions under the law. A union lawyer ruefully commented, ‘They stuck it to pretty much everybody except the judges.’”

Are You Being Paid What You’re Worth?

Reports surfaced this week about a new online tool for workers to determine whether they’re getting paid their market value, which the company defines as “the estimated median base pay he or she could earn in their local job market, right now.” The tool was developed by Glassdoor; a jobs and recruiting site. The so-called “know your worth tool” asks users to enter their current employer, location, job title, years of relevant work experience, and salary. Through an algorithm, the tool calculates the user’s market value based on local job market trends. Because Glassdoor collects information on nearly all online job postings, the company is able to track job opening trends in specific areas and to weigh how demand compares with supply. Visit Glassdoor.

VSEA Insurance Representative In St. Albans and Swanton Next Week

By Appointment Only: VSEA Insurance Representative Joanne Woodcock will be at the following locations to talk with interested VSEA members about member-only insurance benefits.

Receive information on disability coverage, family life insurance, family accident and cancer coverage. You must be a member paying full dues to be eligible for this VSEA benefit. If you are an agency-fee payer, Joanne can provide you information about signing up for full membership.

All applications have to be taken in person.

> Click here to view/download an information brochure.

Northwest State Correctional Facility
3649 Lower Newton St.
Swanton, VT
October 26 and 27
12:00 to 4:00

State District Offices
27 Federal Street
Room 423 – 4th Floor
St. Albans, VT
October 28
12:00 to 4:00

Email Joanne@vseainsurance.com for an appointment. Please provide your age, hourly wage and job description so I can send a quote BEFORE we meet. See attached brochure here.

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/

Not Seeing VSEA In Your Facebook News Feed? Set VSEA’s Page To "See First"!

See larger image here

Many VSEA members have reached out to VSEA’s Communications Department to ask why they don’t see their union’s posts in their Facebook newsfeed. Facebook has limited space to show you posts, so if you like a lot of Facebook pages, VSEA’s posts may not be appearing in your feed. But fear not, Facebook provides a way to prioritize your favorite pages, so you can ensure you don’t miss VSEA’s posts. It’s an easy process:

1. ​​Navigate to VSEA’s Facebook page;
2. Towards the left of the page, below the cover photo, click the “Liked” button. A drop-down menu should appear; and
3. In the drop down menu, select, “See First”

That’s it! Now Facebook will prioritize VSEA’s posts in your news feed so you won’t miss a thing!

Bolton Valley Extends Season Pass Offer To VSEA Members

For the fourth year in a row, the VSEA Advantage Discount Program is pleased to offer discounted season passes to the Bolton Valley Ski Resort in Bolton.

VSEA members who order before October 31, 2016, can purchase a discounted season pass for $269!

Discounted youth passes for your family members are also available ($199/$159).

Like last year, this offer is available only to VSEA members who are currently paying full dues to their union.

The sign-up process is pretty straightforward, but, like last year, in order for a member to view the special VSEA discount promo code (which can be found by clicking here), you must be a registered user of the VSEA website, which also requires you to be a full dues-paying member.

> After acquiring the special VSEA promo code, VSEA members can go here to place your season pass order.

Follow these instructions to make your purchase:

• Click on “Buy Online” and select pass products, accepting or declining pass protection and adding each product to your cart;
• In the Cart view, click on “Add/Change Guest” to set the pass holder’s name and information to each pass product, then click “Proceed to Checkout”;
• Enter your Promo Code in the box where it asks for your promo code then click “Apply Code”; and
• The cart should be refreshed and show the discounted corporate pricing.

A 2016-17 Bolton Valley All Access Season Pass includes:

• Unlimited alpine skiing and riding;
• 100km of Nordic and backcountry skiing;
• A 20% discount on rentals, retail shop purchases, group ski and ride lessons, and lodging (includes condos, suites, or hotel rooms); and
• Sports Center Membership including access to an indoor heated pool, hot tub, and sauna.

If you have any questions, please contact Eric Davis at 802-434-6813 or edavis@boltonvalley.com

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.