VSEA’s 75th Annual Meeting Is Next Saturday!

Walk-Ins Welcome!

Important! Download A Copy of The 2019 Annual Meeting Warn

(Member Log-in Required)

State Promising Review Of Safety Protocols, Following Last Friday’s Scare

Thursday’s Times Argus featured a front-page story about the State launching a review of its response to last Friday’s shooter report at the Tax Department in Montpelier. In the story, Secretary of the Administration Suzanne Young is quoted, saying:

“With any situation like this that occurred on Friday, there already is an after-action review being conducted. There are going to be meetings held, both external and internal, with the law enforcement who responded, with state employees who were impacted, with our emergency coordinators in all of the buildings."

Full Argus Story

Related – VTDigger: Days After Montpelier Lockdown, No Updates On Police Investigation

Photo: In December 2015, VSEA members rallied outside the Pavilion Building for a renewed commitment by the Shumlin Administration to improve safety after the tragic murder of social worker Lara Sobel. Very mixed reviews on what progress has been made to date.

VSEA Wants To Hear From Members On State’s Handling Of Last Week’s Scare

If you are a VSEA member who was impacted by last Friday’s serious and disturbing event, and you want to share your views confidentially with VSEA representatives, please submit your thoughts below. Thanks!

VSEA Judiciary Members’ Security Concerns Reignited By Pulling Of Washington County Sheriffs Due To Funding

VSEA Judiciary members have been bringing concerns to management and lawmakers for years about safety and security in Vermont’s courthouses, and a story in Wednesday’s Times Argus only serves to bolster their case. 

VSEA heard from members in Barre that there was no security in the courthouse yesterday, and the reason why was in the story:

"That shortage also forced [Washington County Sheriff Samuel Hill] to completely give up security screening at the Washington County courthouse. There are usually two deputies at the entrance to the courthouse: one working the scanner and the other with the handheld metal detector."

Note: Not acceptable!

VSEA Press Release (Oct. 2015): VSEA Courthouse Security Concerns

Seeking A Job Promotion? Want To Submit A Request For Classification Review? Considering A Lateral Transfer Within Corrections? 
 

If So, You Really Need To Read This Week’s Contract Bargaining Summary From VSEA Director Of Labor Relations Gary Hoadley

Labor Relations Director Gary Hoadley has posted a third meeting summary on VSEA’s website. Hoadley’s summaries are in the "Members Only" section of VSEA.org. Only registered users can view. Register Here

After logging in to VSEA.org, registered members can navigate to the "Members Only" drop-down menu, located in the homepage’s left-hand column. You can expand a drop-down from there and select "Negotiation Notes From VSEA Director of Labor Relations Gary Hoadley" or you can click "Member-Only Documents" and then on the following page, click the same heading.

Gary Hoadley’s "Negotiation Notes"
Log-in Required
 

Bargaining Meeting Dates Added To The VSEA.org Calendar

• View the full VSEA Calendar online

VSEA Board’s  Workplace Safety Survey Being Emailed Soon! 

Thanks to members input in the past week, the survey is nearing ready and should be emailed to members very soon. 

Here are the questions that will appear on the survey in advance, so you can think about how you will answer:

• What makes you feel unsafe at work?
   
• Do you work in a secure building?

  a) If YES, what safety and security measures have been implemented to date?

  b) If NO, what safety and security measure do you believe need to be adopted to make you and the public feel safe?
   

• In just the past year, how many times would you say you were concerned that the security inside your building is not adequate and could result in an employee or member of the public being physically harmed or worse?
   
• Does your job require interaction with potentially hostile, or even dangerous, people?

  a) If YES, what training has been provided to you to address situations involving hostile or dangerous people?
   

• If are required to interact with potentially hostile or dangerous people, are you being offered de-escalation training?

  a) If NO, would de-escalation training be beneficial to you and your colleagues? 

The survey findings will be shared with the membership, the State’s Director of Safety & Security, pertinent lawmakers and with the state’s Joint Safety and Health Maintenance Committee.

Attention VSEA Stewards! 

The dates for trainings are: 

• October 9 – Rutland
• October 15 – Berlin
• October 23 – St. Johnsbury
• October 30 – South Burlington
• November 6 – White River Junction

All trainings begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Attendees need to provide their own lunch.

It is important to register early, as each training is limited to 25 attendees.

If interested—and to ensure you get a place—please visit this page to fill out and submit your registration form. The deadline for Stewards to let VSEA know is Friday, September 20. 

Bolton Valley Again Offering Discounted Ski & Ride Passes For VSEA Members!

1. Get the lowest price of the year AND…
    
2. Ski & Ride the rest of this season FREE!!! That’s right, if you buy next year’s pass now, you can join us for the rest of this season on next season’s pass!

Pricing:

• Adult (18+):
  Now through April 9: $379
  April 9 – Oct 31: $399
  Final Retail: $449
   
• Youth w/ Adult (7-17):
  Now through April 9: $129
  April 9 – Oct 31: $159
  Final Retail: $179
   
• Youth (7-17):
  Now through April 9: $175
  April 9 – Oct 31: $199
  Final Retail: $239
   
• Senior (65-74):
  Now through April 9: $219
  April 9 – Oct 31: $229
  Final Retail: $239
   
• Child (6 & under):
  Now through April 9: $29
  April 9 – Oct 31: $29
  Final Retail: $29

1. First, log into your VSEA.org account and go this webpage to receive the VSEA discount code.

   Don’t have a VSEA.org account? VSEA members can register a free account here.
    

2. Go to www.boltonvalley.com/industry and click “Buy Online” to select the pass products you want
    
3. In the Cart view, click on Add/Change Account button to set the passholder’s name and information to each pass product, then click Proceed to Checkout.
    
4. Enter promo code in the field provided and then click Apply Code. The cart should be refreshed and show the discounted corporate pricing.

Organizer’s Worksite Meeting

• Barre City Place 
  Wednesday, September 11
  12:00 p.m.
  City Place
  219 N. Main Street
  Third Floor Conference Room
  Barre
   
• Questions: Contact VSEA Organizer Danielle Warner: dwarner@vsea.org

Employee Appreciation Day Event

• Central Vermont
  Thursday, September 12
  10:30 a.m.
  State House Lawn
  115 State Street
  Montpelier
   
• Questions: Contact VSEA Organizer Danielle Warner: dwarner@vsea.org

Labor Day Press Worth A Read

• Americans Are Starting to Love Unions Again– Jacobian
   
• Young People Are Driving a New Labor Movement– VICE
   
• This Labor Day, I’m Grateful To Be Part of a Union for the First Time– Teen Vogue
   
• How Unions Transformed America, But Were Then Demonized by Big Corporations– Diane Ravitch
   
• Workers Are Getting Restless, And Politicians Better Listen– Maine AFL-CIO

Vermont Firefighter Responds To National RTW Commentary

An official with the National Right-To-Work Foundation (based in Virginia) had a commentary published this past weekend in some Vermont online and newspaper commentary pages, demonizing unions and parroting corporate America’s anti-union talking points. In response, Vermont firefighter Christopher Maloney fired back in a commentary that published Wednesday in the Times Argus:

The Perspective piece Mark Mix of the National Right To Work Committee in the weekend edition of the Argus pretty much served to confirm what I’ve known all along, that they are owned, bag and baggage, by conservative interests bent on making sure U.S. labor is paid cheaply and used thoroughly.

The scree Mix continues to mouth about how union labor is out to bankrupt the American worker by making nonunion workers pay union dues, is ridiculous and easy to disprove, should anyone pick up a calculator.

In his commentary, Mix states the nonunion worker makes $4,500 more a year than the union worker. This amounts to about the cost of maximum weekly union dues (depending on the union) over a year’s time. Not included in Mix’s calculations are the gained insurances, pension, improved working conditions and other considerations made possible by labor negotiations. Is that worth a union due? I think it is.

What Mix also fails to communicate is those agency fees for nonunion workers in Vermont are, for the most part, at a reduced rate. So the nonunion worker still enjoys the benefits of a negotiated contract and pays less for the privilege. They do not get to participate in voting or labor talks, but they will always have the chance to do so, should they choose to join.

The National Right to Work Committee is simply a shill for corporations bent on making the most money at the expense of the American citizen and a living wage. In the past several years, this very well-funded organization has spread disinformation calculated to chip away at the American workers’ rights to negotiate a fair wage and safe work environment. Don’t believe the inflammatory hype, do the research yourself before being overtaken by the current corporate monoliths that would love to steamroll us all into compliant little pancakes.

Christopher Maloney is a member of IAFF Local 3702. He lives in Washington 

Note: Thanks Brother Maloney. You speak the truth.

Robert Reich: The 5 Biggest Corporate Lies About Unions

Lie #1: Labor unions are bad for workers.

Lie #2: Unions hurt the economy.

Lie #3: Labor unions are as powerful as big business.

Lie #4: Most unionized workers are in industries like steel and auto manufacturing.

Lie #5: Most unionized workers are white, male, and middle-aged.

Reich expounds on each of his points here.

Study Finds Vermont Is Seventh Best In Nation When It Comes To Workers’ Rights

U.S. News & World Report published a story this week about a new Oxfam America study that ranks all U.S. states in terms of the rights each state’s workers have.

From the story:

The index ranks states on 11 policy areas comprising three main categories: wage policies, such as state minimum wages; worker protection policies, such as accessibility to paid time off; and right-to-organize policies, including union protections. The 30 states that have raised their minimum wages above the federally mandated $7.25, for example, scored higher in the wage category than those that have not.  

Top 10 States for Workers’ Rights

1. California
2. Washington
3. Massachusetts
4. Maine
5. Oregon
6. Rhode Island
7. Vermont
8. Connecticut
9. Minnesota
10. New York

UAW Auto Workers Vote To Authorize Strike

CNBC reports this week that 96% of the United Auto Workers’ members participating in a vote to authorize a strike against General Motors, Ford and Fiat-Chrysler said "yes" to a strike–and it’s expected there will be. 

From the story:
 

This year’s negotiations will set the wages and benefits for 158,000 auto workers and lay out the investment plans in the coming years for the companies. Current contracts expire Sept. 14, however it’s common for that deadline to be pushed back weeks, if not months.

GM is expected to have the toughest negotiations with the union amid the automaker’s plan to potentially close four U.S. facilities, including large assembly plants in Michigan and Ohio. CEO Mary Barra announced plans late last year that would impact roughly 14,000 jobs as the largest U.S. automaker prepares for a soft economy and a shift to electric and autonomous vehicles.