Message From President Bellini: Annual Meeting 2016

Message from VSEA President Bellini:

Good Afternoon:

On September 10, more than 100 VSEA members attended our union’s 72^nd Annual Meeting in Killington. It was a great event, and I want to thank the VSEA Special Events Committee for all their work putting it together.

There was a lot to discuss, and we actually came very close to being kicked out of the room due to an incoming function, but members pushed through, and we ended up completing the work that needed to be done.

If you read through the Annual Meeting WARN that we mailed to all members in August, it contained the proposed bylaw changes, budget and member dues that were debated at our Annual Meeting.

So here’s what VSEA members accomplished at Annual Meeting:

• Passed an operating budget for FY2017;
• Voted to increase individual member dues by .20 cents, making full-fledged membership dues$17.72 per pay period and agency-fee dues $14.21 per pay period;
• Elected Jeff Briggs and Tom Hango to serve on the VSEA Retirement Board;
• Passed Bylaw Change D: Reapportionment of Board of Trustees’ seats;
• Passed Bylaw Change E: Electronic Communicating and Balloting;
• Withdrew Bylaw Change F: Judicial Board Oversight;
• Withdrew Bylaw Change G: Executive Director’s purview;
• Defeated Bylaw Change H: Recording of Board of Trustees’ meetings;
• Withdrew Bylaw Change I: Collective Bargaining Unit term clarification;
• Defeated Bylaw Change J: Clarify role of Retirees and Retiree Board Member;
• Defeated Bylaw Change K: NMU Seats on Board of Trustees;
• Passed Bylaw Change L: Chapter Bylaw Jurisdiction;
• Passed Bylaw Change M: Membership Clarification (Non-State, Private Sector)
• Defeated Bylaw Change N: Judicial Board Name and Duties;
• Passed Bylaw Change O (w/Amendments): Chapter/Unit Finance Oversight
• Passed Bylaw Change P: Finances/Dues Rate; and
• Adopted all endorsement recommendations of the VSEA Board of Trustees for the 2016 General Election (view list here).

Finally, remember that state employees are one of the only groups who get to elect their boss, so we all need to educate ourselves before November 8 about where the different candidates stand on the issues important to us and then get out and vote for the ones who will support our quality public services and the Vermonters who provide them.

> See Photos From VSEA’s Annual Meeting

> View The VSEA Communications Department’s Year-In-Review Video Shown At Annual Meeting

VSEA State Housing Authority Members Reach Tentative Agreement

Contract ratification ballots were mailed this week to the nearly 60 VSEA members belonging to the union’s State Housing Authority Unit. The Unit’s Bargaining Team reached tentative agreement on a new contract with the Housing Authority last Friday. Members have two weeks to return ballots. WIA will let readers know the outcome of the vote.

If VSEA State Housing Authority employees vote to ratify a new contract, the Judiciary becomes the last VSEA Team to still be at the table. A fact finder is currently preparing a report for the Judiciary, and WIA will let readers know when that report is public.

Judiciary Member Records Radio Ad, Calling For Fair Process To Resolve Pay Disputes

In an effort to elevate the fight by Vermont Docket Clerks to secure a fair hearing process to resolve pay disputes, VSEA Judiciary Unit member Beth Aiken recorded a 30-second radio spot that begins a two-week run on Monday, September 26. The ad will appear on radio stations across Vermont. In the ad, Aiken also reminds Vermonters that Docket Clerks are leaving the position at an alarming rate and that their pay remains very low—and they have no recourse to address this reality. The ad ends with an ask to Vermonters to sign an online petition to support the Docket Clerks and all Judiciary workers.

> Listen To The Ad Here

Sign The Judiciary Workers’ Petition Today!

VSEA members are urged to support your Judiciary brothers and sisters by signing the workers’ online petition.

> Click Here To Sign The Petition Online

> Help collect signatures with our PDF petition here!

Campaign Season Is Phone Bank Season.

Volunteers Needed!

VSEA’s Legislative Department is casting a net to find VSEA members who are interested in volunteering some time to staff a phone bank in support of VSEA-endorsed candidates. The calls will be targeted solely to fellow VSEA members.

If you would like to volunteer a few hours of your time in the coming weeks to make some calls to promote VSEA-endorsed candidates, please contact VSEA Organizing Director Vinnie O’Connor by email at voconnor@vsea.org.

Non-Management Unit Seeks Vice Chair – Monday Deadline!

VSEA’s Non-Management Unit is actively seeking self-nominations from members interested in being considered for appointment to the position of Vice Chair (presently vacant) of the Unit’s Executive Committee.

If you are interested in being considered for appointment, you must submit your name and a letter (or email) of interest to the Unit’s Staff Liaison David Van Deusen. He’ll provide all the names submitted to the NMU Chair and Clerk at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, September 26. In your letter, please include where you work, in what department/agency, any prior union experience, and why you want to serve in this important role.

As a member of the Unit’s Executive Committee, the Vice Chair has a vote on Steward appointments and Unit policy decisions. S/he also acts as Unit Chair, when needed. The NMU Executive Committee meets four times a year (sometimes more) and members receive paid leave to attend meetings during work hours.

Letters/emails of interest should be sent to one of these addresses:

Email: dvandeusen@vsea.org

U.S. Mail: Vermont State Employees’ Association, Attn: David Van Deusen, Senior Union Representative, 155 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602

Non-Management Chair Steps Down

Rebecca Trower Is New Chair

Citing personal reasons, VDH employee Michelle Salvador announced to members of VSEA’s Non-Management Unit on September 12 that we was stepping down from her position as Chair of the Unit. Salvador just led the Unit through one of the toughest negotiating sessions in recent memory, and she thanked NMU members for their support, writing “I want you to now how much I have been inspired by so many of you who have engaged with your Union to fight for the rights and benefits that we deserve.” Salvador added that current NMU Vice Chair and DCF employee Rebecca Trower would now serve as Chairperson.

In her farewell message, Salvador also included a warning that read, in part: “This past session of bargaining was especially challenging. [The State] had no intention of bargaining in good faith. You had a team that stood strong and fought hard until the end, and they deserve our applause. I do not expect the next bargaining session to be any easier, making your involvement even more imperative. The time to sit back and take your Union and your rights and benefits for granted has long passed. As you read this, legislation hangs on the wall of our State House to diminish our right to collectively bargain.”

Note: Thanks for your service to VSEA Michelle!

First-Ever "VSEA Day At Fenway" A Big Hit!

Nearly 60 VSEA members and their families from across the state, representing several agencies and departments, were at Fenway Park in Boston on Sunday night to participate in VSEA’s first-ever "VSEA Day at Fenway." By all counts, the event was a huge success, and the game did not disappoint, as the Red Sox rallied back in the late innings to beat the New York Yankees 5-4.

Pictured here are some of the VSEA members who traveled to Boston for the game. VSEA’s Facebook page also features a short video of the VSEA contingent singing “Sweet Caroline” during the seventh-inning stretch.

One DOL member who attended the VSEA-sponsored event thanked the union in an email for making the trip affordable and available, writing "It was a great time. There is no experience like being at Fenway for such a great rivalry, the atmosphere and the fans."

Big thanks to VSEA staff members Bob South and Susan DeVoid for all their work coordinating the event.

This Sunday, September 25, VSEA is sponsoring a similar event "VSEA NASCAR Day" at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. The bus is again full!

Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital Members Urged To Complete Survey

VSEA Union Representative Rachael Fields asked WIA to remind VSEA members at the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital to please complete a short survey concerning mandated overtime and its impact on you.

> You can find the VPCH member survey here

Upcoming Brattleboro Chapter Events

VSEA Brattleboro Chapter President Robin Rieske asked WIA to remind Chapter members about these upcoming events:

1) Brattleboro Chapter Meeting

Please RSVP to: robin.rieske@vermont.gov

2) Hike for the Homeless 2016

The Brattleboro Chapter is once again supporting "Hike for the Homeless"; a local fundraiser to support Groundworks Collaborative. It takes place at Mt. Wantastiquet in Hinsdale on October 1 at 9:30 a.m. If you’re coming, please wear a VSEA t-shirt or let me know and I’ll have a t-shirt waiting for you. You have the option to hike to the summit or simply walk along the River Trail at the base of the mountain.

For those who can’t make it, I have set up a special Brattleboro Chapter page, where members can go to make a small donation:

> Click Here To Donate To This Great Cause.

Union Rep Fields Conducting Two Monthly Meetings Next Week

VSEA Union Representative Rachael Fields has scheduled two open meetings next week to allow members to come and meet with her about your issues and concerns.

For members in Bennington:

Wednesday, September 28
State Office Building
Third Floor Conference Room
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Friday, September 30
Community College of Newport
100 Main Street, Room 1512
Newport
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Local Candidate VSEA Questionnaire Answers Now Online For Review

Recently, VSEA’s Legislative Committee sent questionnaires to candidates for local office. In an effort to better educate members about these candidates, prior to the November 8 general election, VSEA is pleased to make each candidate’s questionnaire answers available for review here. Please take time to review their answers and then consider casting your vote on November 8 for candidates whose answers reflect that they will work hard to support and defend state employees and the services you provide.

> Local Candidate Questionnaire Answers

> Statewide Candidate Questionnaire Answers

St. Johnsbury Representatives’ Column Deserves Members’ Response

The two House members representing St. Johnsbury saw fit to recently pen a column in the Caledonian Record, bemoaning Vermont’s “spending problem” and advocating to return state employee levels to the “7,700” under Gov. Jim Douglas. What the pair fail to include is that the 7,700 number they cite was at the height of America’s recession, when service and job cuts were all the rage, in lieu of very little new revenue generation.

Here’s what VSEA members need to know about this misconception being promoted in columns like the one penned by the representatives. Prior to the recession, state government had grown each year Gov. Douglas was in office. From 2003 to 2008, the number of state employees rose from 7572 to a high of 8257. Today, in 2016, the number of state employees stands at 8218, which is actually still below the level reached by Gov. Douglas.

It should also be noted that in the time period 2007 to 2015, the number of classified full-time employees fell while the number of exempt positions in government rose.

VSEA members residing in St. Johnsbury are urged to educate their House representatives about the adverse impact of past service- and position-cutting exercises and urge them to raise state employee level back to the Douglas pre-recession level.

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/

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 2014-15 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.