VSEA’s Week In Action Newsletter: September 21, 2018

 

Help Spread The Word!
View, Print, And Post A Condensed Version Of This Week’s Issue!
(Opens/ downloads a PDF)

 

VSEA Vermont State Housing Authority Unit Reaches Tentative Agreement
With State!

VSEA congratulated its members belonging to the State Housing Authority Unit yesterday afternoon, after learning the Unit Bargaining Team had reached a tentative contract agreement with the State of Vermont.

“We’re pleased the Unit Bargaining Team was able to reach a tentative agreement with the Housing Authority,” VSEA Unit Chair Nate Schmechel tells WIA. “We hope that all Unit members will attend an important ratification meeting next Tuesday at VSEA headquarters from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.”

Schmechel adds that the Unit Bargaining Team is immediately sharing the terms and conditions of the tentative agreement with all Unit members, prior to them voting the agreement up or down at next Tuesday’s meeting.

Calling All VSEA Campaign 2018 Volunteers!

In the weeks leading up to Vermont’s November 6 general election, VSEA Legislative Committee members, HQ staff and retirees will be soliciting for members and retirees who want to volunteer some time to assist candidates who have received VSEA’s endorsement and who deserve our support.

There are many ways for you to participate in VSEA’s Campaign 2018 activities, including:

  • Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored phone bank;
     
  • Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored honk-and-wave;
     
  • Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored door-to-door canvassing effort;
     
  • Participate in a VSEA- or candidate-sponsored candidate(s) rally;
     
  • Educate your family, friends and colleagues about the candidate and his/her positions on issues important to VSEA members;
     
  • March with a candidate in a parade;
     
  • Volunteer to help at a candidate’s headquarters (if applicable) with things like answering phones, filing, assembling educational packets/mailings, etc.;
     
  • Put a yard sign in your yard, or help the candidate distribute signs in your area;
     
  • Host a candidate house party;
     
  • Drive voters to the polls on Election Day;
     
  • Pen a letter to the editor in support of VSEA-endorsed candidate(s); and
     
  • Make a monetary contribution to a candidate(s).

If you would be interested in volunteering some time to help your union’s campaign 2018 efforts, please contact VSEA Organizing Director Ray Stout by email (rstout@vsea.org), or by phone at 223-5247.

IMPORTANT!! In order to keep members and retirees as up to date as possible on all VSEA’s Campaign 2018 activities, VSEA must have your updated HOME email address. VSEA cannot send emails of a political nature, such as campaign announcements about the union’s endorsed candidates, to state email addresses. If you are unsure, or don’t remember ever providing VSEA with your most up-to-date home email, please take time today to submit your name and home email address to VSEA@VSEA.org (please write “Home Email” in the subject space).

2018 General Election Early
& Absentee
Voting Begins

VSEA is joining with the Secretary of State’s office to remind Vermont voters that absentee ballots for the November general election “will be available not later than September 22, 2018.” If you can’t make it to the polls on November 6, or you don’t like dealing with the crowds or parking, the Secretary of State’s office has several options available to you to cast your vote ahead of time.

Quote Of The Week!

"I also find it interesting that this is at least the tenth person whom I have met while talking to people, who has recently moved here to Vermont.
Why are we not talking about that and why are we not asking them why they want to come to this great area? Just saying."

Barre House candidate J. Guy Isabelle, in a letter to the editor in the September 21 Times Argus.  Isabelle’s observation directly contradicts several Vermont politicians who continue to repeat the rumor that Vermont is hemorrhaging residents.

Senator Sears Demands DOC Detail Where Missing $2.2 Million Went & Get It Back

Photo: Seven Days

Seven Days reports September 20 on a Joint Legislative Justice Oversight Committee hearing held this week to review the DOC’s prison healthcare administration, which is currently under the direction of the private, for-profit firm, Centurion (related: VTDigger, Corrections Backs Controversial Health Care Contractor). During the hearing, lawmakers questioned DOC officials about the $4.8 million the DOC paid Centurion in 2017 for “pharmaceutical drugs and off-site medical expenses,” and why Centurion only spent $2.6 million of it. Senator Dick Sears
(D-Bennington) asked DOC officials for an explanation but received none, causing him to openly grouse, “I just find it appalling that you can’t account for $2 million.” Instead, according to the story, “an audience member” had to provide Sears with an answer, telling him simply “Centurion keeps the money.”

The story continues:

Department of Corrections officials conceded the point. “We identified this issue in years one through three of the contract” with Centurion and changed it for 2018, said Ben Watts, the department’s health services administrator. “We capped their corporate overhead and profit and added the language that any savings would be [recouped]," he said.

Sears wasn’t satisfied. “I want it paid back if they took it,” he said of the missing money.

VSEA President Dave Bellini is blasting the news about the missing $2.2 million, telling WIA, “Good for Senator Sears. A state employee makes a mistake on their timesheet, and the State Police are called in, but $2.2 million—or however many millions—goes missing over a year’s time, and the DOC or someone else doesn’t investigate? It’s a double standard, for sure. VSEA looks forward to seeing what answers the DOC provides to Senator Sears and to Vermont taxpayers.”

Note: Given Vermont’s ongoing budget issues, it’s nice to see a lawmaker demanding answers about the millions of dollars the DOC can’t account for—and mandating officials recuperate the much-needed money. As VSEA members have witnessed all too often in the past, the terms and conditions contained in some of the State’s contracts with private vendors have sometimes not been favorable to Vermont taxpayers. VSEA also continues to promote bringing Vermont prison health care back in-house, with state employees providing the service.

VSEA Supervisory & State Colleges’ Unit Members Online Unit Election Ballots Being Emailed Today!

NMU Coming Soon!

VSEA’s Elections, Rules and Nominating Committee are emailing an online voting link today to eligible members belonging to VSEA’s Supervisory and State Colleges Units. Non-Management Unit election ballots will be emailed in early October. As in recent elections, the firm SimplyVoting will be emailing the link to you.

Here is the Committee’s ballot email schedule:

Judiciary Unit – Ballot emails on TODAY, September 21 to vote in Executive Committee and Bargaining Team elections. Due back October 5.

Non-Management Unit – Ballot to be emailed no later than October 5 to vote in Executive Committee and Bargaining Team elections. Due back 14 days after it emails.

State Colleges Unit – Ballot emails on TODAY, September 21 to vote in Unit Vice Chair election. Due back October 5.

If you requested a paper ballot, it is being mailed to you.

Very Important! Your electronic ballot is being sent to the primary email address that VSEA currently has on file for you. If you do not receive an email from vote@simplyvoting.com on the date indicated (except NMU, which is still TBD), please look in your “Other” or “Spam” folders before contacting headquarters to request that your ballot
be reissued.

St. Albans and Burlington AFLAC Enrollment Is NOW!

VSEA Benefits Administrator, Joanne Woodcock, asked WIA to include the following message:

Your lifestyle is important and you want to keep it moving, even when the unexpected happens. That’s why Aflac offers insurance to help with expenses major medical insurance may not cover, and pays cash directly to you.* You work hard. Aflac does too – to help protect your way of life.

VSEA is offering the following policies: Disability, Accident, Cancer, Life Insurance, Critical Care & Hospital.

Call your VSEA Benefits Administrator Joanne Woodcock at 888-510-4467. Joanne@vseainsurance.com

Appointments for enrollment are available using this link.

I will call you on the day and time you select. Please be in front of a computer at the time of your appointment.

*Benefits are paid directly to you, unless assigned otherwise.

This is a brief product overview only. Coverage may not be available in all states. Coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.In New York or coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of New York.

Worldwide Headquarters | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, Georgia 31999 Z171313 Exp 10/18

Seats Going Fast For VSEA Bus Trip To NJ To See Patriots Battle The Jets

Sunday, November 25
MetLife Stadium
East Rutherford, NJ
Section 225 (View Seats)

Ticket + Bus Cost: $172 per person

To register or if you have a question, please email VSEA Union Representative Bob South (bsouth@vsea.org) or Administrative Assistant Sue DeVoid (sdevoid@vsea.org). Each can be also reached by phone at 802-223-5247.

More Information

Reserve Your Seat(s) Today For VSEA November
Bus Trip To Foxwoods Casino!

November 30 to December 2, 2018

There are still seats left on the bus for the VSEA Membership Recruitment Committee’s November trip to the Foxwoods Casino for a two-night stay.

More Information

To register or if you have a question, please email VSEA Union Representative Bob South (bsouth@vsea.org) or Administrative Assistant Sue DeVoid (sdevoid@vsea.org). Each can be also reached by phone at 802-223-5247.

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

All VSEA members in good standing are eligible to purchase a pass or passes. You can purchase yours today by first contacting VSEA by email at vsea@vsea.org. VSEA 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.

Pricing:

Pass Type: Pre-April 2 Price/Post-April 2 Price

Adult (18+): $379 / $429

Youth w/Adult (7-17): $159 / $179

Youth (7-17): $199 / $239

Senior (65-74): $229 / $239

Child (6 and under): $29 / $29

Ski Bum (18-25): $179 / $279

Not Seeing
VSEA In Your Facebook News Feed?

Set VSEA’s Page To "See First"

VSEA’s Facebook 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 big cover photo, click the “Following” 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!

 

VSEA Meetings/ Trainings/ Events:

 

Upcoming Chapter Meeting

  • Waterbury Chapter
    Wednesday, September 26

    12:00 p.m.
    State Office Complex
    Cherry C Conference Room
    Waterbury

    Questions: Contact VSEA Waterbury Chapter President,
    John Mangione: Mangioneart@comcast.net

Upcoming Organizer Worksite Meetings

  • Montpelier – Tax Department
    Tuesday, September 25
    12:00 p.m.
    Tax Department
    BGS Conference Room, #021
    133 State Street
    Montpelier

    Important: You must be a member to attend this meeting, if you are not a member please sign up here!

    Questions: Contact VSEA Organizer Danielle Warner at dwarner@vsea.org

  • Barre – McFarland Building
    Wednesday, September 26
    12:00 p.m.
    Economic Services
    Suite 150 Conference Room
    5 Perry Street
    Barre

    Questions: Contact VSEA Organizer Carmen Scoles at cscoles@vsea.org

  • Barre – Agency of Education
    Thursday, September 27

    12:00 p.m.
    AOE Third Floor
    Conference Room
    219 Main Street
    Barre

    Questions: Contact VSEA Organizer Danielle Warner at dwarner@vsea.org

  • Montpelier – City Center
    Thursday, September 27

    12:00 p.m.
    2nd Floor Large Conference Room
    City Center
    89 Main Street
    Montpelier​

    Questions: Contact VSEA Organizer Carmen Scoles at cscoles@vsea.org

 

Points of Interest:

 

Public Assets Institute Reports That Vermont Incomes Are Falling, While Income In Most Other States
Is Rising

Vermont is an anomaly in a bad way when it comes to “median household income,” according to a new Public Assets Institute study. Using newly released census data, PAI determined that Vermonters’ “median household income, after adjusting for inflation, fell 2.4 percent last year to $57,513.” This was Vermont’s second year of income decline, and only Alaska saw a larger decline last year than Vermont. Across the nation, median income rose in 40 states in 2017.

From a PAI post:

“The new household income figures appear to be further evidence that wages may be the real culprit behind the claims that Vermont has affordability problems. A recent analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showed the prices in Vermont were only slightly higher than the national average, but Vermont wages were well below the average wage nationally. This year the Vermont Legislature passed a bill, which the governor vetoed, that would have increased the minimum wage to $15 by 2024.”

UVM Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement With Management

Photo: VTDigger

VTDigger reports on September 20 that, after months of tough and often contentious negotiations, nurses at the University of Vermont Medical Center have finally reached a tentative agreement with hospital management. According to the story, the nurses agreed to a 16 percent average base salary increase over the contract’s term, which, if ratified, would be three years.

Molly Wallner, the union’s lead negotiator, tells VTDigger that the nurses were feeling a “rollercoaster of emotions” after a seven-hour negotiating session on Wednesday. “We feel really proud, but this contract doesn’t encompass everything we were trying to achieve, so our work isn’t over in the long run,” she adds.

Story Reports Labor Unions Are Enjoying A “Youthful Surge”

An online post to the website OZY reports a surge in millennials joining labor unions across America.

From the story:

“It might seem counterintuitive that young people are turning to organized labor — stereotypically regarded as a bureaucratic institution and an arm of the Democratic Party — when trust in most societal institutions remains low. Of 15 major U.S. institutions, a majority of people had trust in just three: the military, small businesses and the police, according to a 2018 Gallup poll report.

But while there have been decades of fear-mongering around unions, millennials didn’t grow up with as much of that stigma, Johnston says. Instead, younger millennials were searching for their first jobs during the Great Recession and potentially have an understanding of what it means to be economically vulnerable, says Jessica Schieder, an economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute. And unlike older age groups, adults younger than 30 are much more likely to have a favorable view of unions than of corporations, according to the 2017 Fact Tank report by Pew Research Center. Although the economy has rebounded overall, those gains are concentrated at the top, according to Jacobs.

Jacobs says this is precisely why interest in unions is rising: The growing economy creates some kind of hope, but the fact that it’s not being shared creates recognition of the need for action and solidarity. As the younger generation feels excluded from the system they’ve inherited, they’re seeking new outlets to get involved, Johnston says.”

This Week:

VSEA Vermont State Housing Authority Unit Reaches Tentative Agreement With State!

Calling All VSEA Campaign 2018 Volunteers!

2018 General Election Early & Absentee Voting Begins

Senator Sears Demands DOC Detail Where Missing $2.2 Million Went &
Get It Back

VSEA Supervisory & State Colleges’ Unit Members Online Unit Election Ballots Being Emailed Today!
NMU Coming Soon!

St. Albans and Burlington AFLAC Enrollment Is NOW!

Seats Going Fast For VSEA Bus Trip To NJ To See Patriots Battle The Jets

Reserve Your Seat(s) Today For VSEA November Bus Trip To Foxwoods Casino!

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

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

 

VSEA Meetings/ Trainings/ Events:

 

Upcoming Chapter Meeting

Upcoming Organizer Worksite Meetings:

 

Points of Interest:

 

Public Assets Institute Reports That Vermont Incomes Are Falling, While Income In Most Other States Is Rising

UVM Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement With Management

Story Reports Labor Unions Are Enjoying A “Youthful Surge”

 

VSEA Reminders:

 

Complete Summary Of Changes Made To NMU, Corrections & Supervisory Units’ Contract

New Contract Printing Can Move Forward

What You Should Know About The Anti-Worker Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

“I’m Sticking With My Union” Video Series​

What Is The VSEA Advantage Program?

 

VSEA Calendar:

September 25
Organizer’s Worksite Meeting: Montpelier
Tax Department
BGS Conference Room, #021
133 State Street
Montpelier
12:00 p.m.

September 25
VSHA Contract Ratification Meeting
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

September 26
Waterbury Chapter Meeting
State Office Complex
Cherry C Conference Room
Waterbury
12:00 p.m.

September 26
Organizer’s Worksite Meeting: Barre
McFarland State Office Building
Economic Services Suite 150 Conference Room
5 Perry Street
Barre
12:00 p.m.

September 27
Organizer’s Worksite Meeting: Barre
Agency Of Education
Third Floor Conference Room
219 Main Street
Barre
12:00 p.m.

September 27
Organizer’s Worksite Meeting: Montpelier City Center
DFR
Second Floor Large Conference Room
89 Main Street
Montpelier
12:00 p.m.

 

Complete Summary Of Changes Made To NMU, Corrections & Supervisory Units’ Contract

To view the comprehensive overview of all the changes made to the contracts covering VSEA members in the Non-Management, Corrections and Supervisory Units, please click here (PDF). 

Note: Members with specific questions about the new contract should contact a Steward or a Union Representative.

 

New Contract Printing
Can Move Forward Now

To date, the contract the VLRB ruled in favor of has not been printed or posted because, as many VSEA members and retirees know, VSEA and the State just completed VLRB-requested mediation last week. But now that mediation has concluded, and an agreement has been reached and the VLRB has approved it, it should pave the way for the new contracts to be printed and posted soon.

In the interim, members with specific questions about the new contract should contact a Steward or a Union Representative.

 

What You Should Know About The Anti-Worker Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

Thanks in advance for visiting VSEA’s Janus webpage to ensure you are an informed union member. 
 

 

“I’m Sticking With My Union” 
Video Series

Watch On YouTube: 
“I’m Sticking With My Union” – Goldie Watson

 

Watch On YouTube: 
“I’m Sticking With My Union” – Sawyer Joecks

 

Watch On YouTube: 
"I’m Sticking With My Union" – Sue LaFleche

 

Watch On YouTube:
"I’m Sticking With My Union – John Vorder Bruegge"

 

You can set this "I’m Sticking With The Union" frame to your Facebook profile picture by following these directions.

 

What is the VSEA Advantage Program?

Did you know?
The average VSEA member can save hundreds of dollars a year by taking advantage of some of the Members Only benefits offered through their union!

GET EXCLUSIVE OFFERS, DISCOUNTS & MORE

It’s free, just for being a Vermont State Employees’ Association PerksConnect member!

Learn More!

Questions? Feel free to email vsea@ vsea.org

 

Need To Update Your Contact Information
With VSEA? 
Don’t Have
A VSEA
Union Card? 

Request A Green VSEA Union Card

Have You Been Threatened
At Work? 

Send A Threat Report To VSEA

Are You A
VSEA Council Member?

Join the VSEA Council Facebook group here!

Are You A
VSEA Steward?

Join the VSEA Steward Facebook
group here!

Subscribe To VSEA Today!

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.

We Want To Know What You Think of VSEA’s Week In Action! Send Us Feedback Here

 

Facebook

Twitter

VSEA.org