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Hard Work Of Vermont Veterans’ Home Workers Is Acknowledged
Not allowing discussions in Montpelier about privatizing the Vermont Veterans’ Home (VVH) to get them down, VSEA members working at the VVH continue to provide top-level care to Vermont veterans, and this week their dedication and commitment earned the facility two important and desired distinctions.
- A zero deficiency rate for the second consecutive year; and
- A five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which makes the VVH one of the nation’s best.
VVH administration announced the awards in two March 29 press releases, saying: “The outstanding survey results achieved by the Vermont Veterans’ Home are just one of the many reasons we are the hallmark in caring for our heroes” and “The staff at the VVH fulfills the promise to our country’s veterans, their spouses and Gold Star parents in a vibrant, patient-centered and respectful setting.”
“Congratulations to the entire Vets’ Home workforce for sticking together and working really hard to provide the best service possible to our veterans,” VSEA President Dave Bellini tells WIA. “These are important acknowledgements, and you have to wonder why there are still legislators and elected officials openly talking about wanting to turn the care of our veterans over to some private, for-profit company; especially when we’re reading about all the trouble Michigan is having after that state privatized some of its Vets’ Home services. I don’t think Vermonters want anything similar to what happened there. Our Vets’ Home is one of the country’s best, and I think we should all be proud of that and fully support the facility and its workers.” |
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Delegation Of VSEA Members Headed To Labor Notes Conference In Chicago
A 15-member VSEA delegation departed Vermont today en route to Chicago to attend the annual and popular Labor Notes conference, where more than 2,000 labor activists from across America are gathering this weekend to share ideas, lessons and strategies about how best to organize and advocate for working people. This is the fourth year VSEA has sent a delegation to the conference.
Conference attendees can choose from several workshop “tracks,” including Secrets of a Successful Organizer, Health Care, Shop Floor & Steward Skills, Defending Everyone, Organizing Beyond the Workplace, Contract Campaigns & Strikes, Local Officers, Global Justice, Postal Workers and Educators.
VSEA members attending this year’s conference include: Bob Arkley (DOC), Suzanne Arrand (AOE), Jennifer Brooks (Judiciary), Nicole Burdick (Judiciary), Katelyn Chase (ESD), Margaret Crowley (Judiciary), Marion Fignar (DOL), Cassandra Edson (DOL), Rubin Jennings (AG’s Office), Barbara King (VVH), Jayne King (Judiciary), Sheila Manchester Coniff (AOE), Jill Mongeon (Judiciary), Victoria Thorpe (Judiciary), and William Wells (ESD). |
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State Now Wants To Keep “Temporary” Middlesex Psychiatric Facility Through 2020 & Open New Forensic Unit
Photo: VPR
VPR aired a story on March 26 about State officials being asked to “expand the size and scope” of whatever permanent facility is built to replace the “temporary” psychiatric care facility that was constructed in Middlesex after Tropical Storm Irene caused the closure of the old Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury. The temporary facility was scheduled to close at the beginning of 2016, but now officials want it to stay in operation through 2020, when a new permanent structure will be built.
In the piece, Mental Health Commissioner Frank Reed explains that he wants the new “permanent” facility to “have the capacity to take in mentally ill inmates who don’t belong in prison but [who] do need secure residential care,” adding that prison is no place for inmates with severe mental illness to receive proper care. This is welcome news to VSEA and its members working in Corrections, who have long advocated for the State and lawmakers to build a forensic unit to care for this population, and they have been joined by VSEA members working at one of the state’s psychiatric facilities, who also believe these individuals can receive much better care outside a prison setting.
As proof of how long VSEA members have been requesting the State to build a forensic unit, here are some excerpts from past WIA stories:
November 2011
The legislature’s Mental Health Oversight Committee held a meeting on November 9 to hear testimony from nearly every party tied to the Vermont State Hospital and learn more about the status of interim plans to replace the services provided at the facility prior to it being inundated by Tropical Storm Irene.
The VSH workforce was represented by Psychiatric Techs Kris Martin and Peter Bartlett, who testified about how unique and specialized the current VSH staff is and how a lot of employees have real concerns about the level of care their patients are receiving in some of the State’s interim facilities, which includes a prison. Martin and Bartlett also voiced their support for the State to construct a State-run, stand-alone hospital somewhere in central Vermont; one that is also equipped to accept Vermont’s forensic (a.k.a. inmate) population suffering with acute and severe mental illness. “I think the only logical solution would be a centrally located new hospital with 30 beds at least,” said Bartlett. Martin concurred, adding “A centrally located, new facility is the answer.” Martin also expressed his hope that no VSH employee would lose his/her job as a result of Irene, and he voiced the frustration of many VSH employees about how long this workforce has waited for a real solution to replacing the VSH, saying, “People are fed up. They want a decision.”
March 2010
“Our DOC members have been warning VSEA for years that the number of severely mentally ill inmates is rising, and that, as a result, they fear more and more for their own personal safety,” VSEA’s Legislative Coordinator told WIA. “VSEA has also been trying hard to get the appropriate legislative committees to address the issue of mentally ill inmates by adding forensic beds to any plan adopted to replace the Vermont State Hospital. These beds would be a place where Vermont’s severely mentally ill inmates could receive proper treatment for their illness, instead of DOC employees having to just deal with it at their own peril.”
February 2008
While VSEA supports the idea of siting the facility in Waterbury, we have serious concerns that using the Dale facility may limit the space that will ultimately be needed for patients transferring from the Vermont State Hospital. If the Dale facility closes as a women’s prison, the State should consider creating a ‘center for forensic psychiatry’ for DOC which can house offenders with serious mental illness.”
November 2007
While VSEA disagrees with the lack of forensic beds suggested in the new system—and still supports a new, state-of-the-art hospital rather then a “rehabilitation and recovery center”—the union believes this report is a positive step away from the Administration’s favored plan to privatize the mental health system by building a $100 million facility on the Fletcher Allen campus. The future of the Vermont State Hospital will remain a top priority for VSEA in the coming legislative session.
Commissioner Reed also told lawmakers that he has been instructed to “evaluate the prospect of partnering on the project with a private company.” VSEA will be keeping an eye out for whatever parameters are established to govern a public/private partnership, should one be formed. |
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Upcoming Trainings:
Trainings in blue are for all members.
Steward Training: Corrections Unit
Wednesday, April 6
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
Steward Training: The Grievance
Wednesday, April 13
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
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Two VSEA Members Declare As Candidates In Vermont House Races
Two more VSEA members and frontline state employees will be working this year to follow in the footsteps of VVH member (now Union Representative) Rachael Fields, who was victorious in her first-ever run for the House in 2012.
VSEA is pleased to announce that VSEA First Vice President Aimee Towne is running to succeed House Speaker Shap Smith as the new representative for the towns of Elmore, Morristown, Woodbury and Worcester. Aimee is a Benefits Program Specialist with the Economic Services Division in Morrisville.
> Read Aimee’s Campaign Announcement
VSEA is also pleased to announce that VSEA Judiciary employee Evan Hill is running for one of two seats to represent Vermonters living in the Grand Isle and West Milton district. Evan is a Family Case Manager who works in the Grand Isle County Courthouse.
> Read Evan’s Campaign Announcement
Rachael Fields is also running for re-election for a House seat in Bennington.
VSEA is asking members who live in Aimee, Evan and Rachael’s districts to consider casting your vote for a fellow state employee. The more rank-and-file worker voices in the State House, the better! |
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NPR Story Features Great Work Being Done By Educator At Woodside
Photo: NPR
National Public Radio aired an excellent story on March 29, titled “Two Days Inside A Classroom For Young Offenders,” which features Woodside Teacher and VSEA member Lisa Elder. The reporter spends the day with Elder in her classroom, reporting on the important work she is doing every day to get troubled Vermont youth back on track, educating them about basic life skills and trying to provide some guidance and direction.
Here’s an excerpt:
"I’m looking at kids who are 14 years old and have been getting kicked out of school since day care," Elder says. "People give up on these kids."
For many, Woodside is the first stable place they’ve had. Most have experienced trauma. They come from troubled homes, foster care, even from the streets.
"We’ve had kids that have never used forks and spoons," she says.
And like other VSEA members campaigning for improved safety protections, Elder tells NPR she’s also not immune to violence at work, but, like many state employees, her dedication to the service she provides keeps her going.
"I have been assaulted only once in any serious manner," she says, "and I had to go back in the next day, because if I didn’t, I didn’t think I ever would." |
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Labor Breathes Sigh Of Relief After U.S. Supreme Court Deadlocks On Fair Share Ruling
Public-sector union members across America are breathing a huge sigh of relief after the U.S. Supreme Court divided this week in a case (Friedrich’s v. California Teachers Association) that would have decided whether or not public employees who are represented by a union can be required to pay “fair share” fees. By all counts, the Court was poised to narrowly rule against unions, but then Justice Scalia passed away unexpectedly, and new rumors of a deadlocked Court began circulating. Sure enough, the Court did vote 4 to 4 on March 29 to leave in place an Appeals Court ruling that upheld a union’s right to collect fair share fees.
The Friedrich’s case had implications for more than 5 million workers in Vermont, as well as in 22 other states and Washington, D.C.; all of whom are represented at the bargaining table by public sector unions.
After the Court’s vote, national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued a statement, saying, “Today, working people have persevered in the face of another attack on our rights. All over the country working people are showing that we won’t allow wealthy special interests or their politicians to stand in our way to join collectively and make workplaces better all across America. In the face of these attacks we are more committed than ever to ensuring that everyone has the right to speak up together for a better life.” |
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NEK/St. Johnsbury Chapter Soliciting Donations To Benefit Local Food Shelves
The NEK/St Johnsbury Chapter of the VSEA is soliciting member donations to benefit the Lyndonville and St. Johnsbury Food Shelves. In addition to accepting food contributions, the Chapter will also be matching members’ cash donations, up to $200.
Contact Ellen Hinman or Dianne Rivers to let them know you will be collecting at your office and then to arrange a pickup of your donated food and money. The deadline is April 18.
Questions: Ellen Hinman, Chapter President 751-0110/Dianne Rivers, Chapter Vice President 626-6223/ Monique Prive, Chapter Secretary/Treasurer 626-6364
Thank you!
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VSEA Throw Back
> View the full photo here
This photo from the 1990’s features a contingent VSEA AOT workers rallying at the State House for fair wages and a fair contract. Looks like the IBEW was in the heat of a similar contract battle and the two unions teamed up to send a message to lawmakers.
Sadly, this photo could just as easily be from today, given the current status of contract negotiations with the State.
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April 30 Is Deadline To Enroll For New Easy-Issue, Permanent Life Insurance Option
In early February, VSEA announced a new offer to members to purchase voluntary permanent life insurance through the convenience of payroll deduction and easy online enrollment. Here’s a reminder about the offer, which is being rolled out in a series of WIA announcements.
Announcement #1 – February 9 – Features Of Affordable Purelife-Plus Life Insurance
- Permanent life insurance to age 121;
- Easy qualification for Express Issue with only three work & health-related questions; and
- All with coverage that you own and may take with your when you change jobs or retire – it’s yours to keep!
Employee, spouse, children and grandchildren may apply.*
Remember…the State offers 2x your salary in life insurance. This coverage reduces to $10,000 at retirement with 20 years of service.
Don’t miss your chance to protect your family with permanent, portable life insurance from Texas Life Insurance Company.
*Texas Life complies with all state laws regarding marriages, domestic and civil union partnerships, and legally recognized familial relationships. Coverage and spouse/domestic partner eligibility may vary by state. PureLife-plus (PRFNG-NI-10) is an individual, flexible premium universal life insurance product. For details of coverage see the PureLife-plus brochure. PureLife-plus is underwritten by Texas Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 830, Waco, TX, 76703; 1-800-283-9233 16M016-C (1) 1013 (exp0218)
Announcement #2 – March 18 – Do You Have Enough Life Insurance?
According to a recent LIMRA International survey, sixty-five percent of employees with group life believe they need more life insurance beyond what their employer provides.*
Enrolling now, PureLife-plus is affordable life insurance from Texas Life
Enrollment Dates: 3/1/16 to 4/30/16
> Click here to enroll
Login using your employee number in both the ID and password fields.
If you have any questions or need assistance with enrolling in coverage, please contact VSEA’s insurance administrator, R.K. Tongue Co., at (800) 638-6353 or email info@rktongue.com.
*Facts from LIMRA International, September 2015
PureLife-plus (PRFNG-NI-10) is an individual, flexible premium universal life insurance product. For details of coverage see the PureLife-plus brochure. PureLife-plus is underwritten by Texas Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 830, Waco, TX, 76703; 1-800-283-9233 16M016-C (2) 1013 (exp0218)
Announcement #2 – April 1 – Enrollment Dates Are 3/1/16 to 4/30/16!
Have you taken advantage of this opportunity to apply for voluntary permanent life insurance? Log in now for your personalized offer!
> Click here to enroll
Login using your employee number in both the ID and password fields.
If you have any questions or need assistance with enrolling in coverage, please contact VSEA’s insurance administrator, R.K. Tongue Co., at (800) 638-6353 or email info@rktongue.com.For additional information, click here.
PureLife-plus (PRFNG-NI-10) is an individual, flexible premium universal life insurance product. For details of coverage see the PureLife-plus brochure. PureLife-plus is underwritten by Texas Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 830, Waco, TX, 76703; 1-800-283-9233 16M016-C (4) 1013 (exp0218) |
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Bolton Valley Already Offering VSEA Members Deeply Discounted 2016-2017 Season Pass Rates
Bolton Valley Ski Resort has been a participating member of the VSEA Advantage Discount Program for years, offering full-fledged VSEA members and their families discounted day and season passes.
Even though the 2015-2016 ski season isn’t over quite yet, Bolton is already offering VSEA members an early-bird special deal on a 2016-2017 season pass. This is special pricing that Bolton Valley is offering on a trial basis to gauge Vermonters’ interest in purchasing a pass way ahead of time if the price is deeply discounted.
Bolton is offering an adult “All-Access” season pass for $269 to VSEA members. This is a $230 savings per pass from last year. This price is good until October 31, 2016. Youth passes ($159) include an added discount that Bolton will stop offering on April 4, 2016, so, if interested, book these sooner, not later.
Full-fledged members will need a promo code at the time of checkout, which will apply discounts to the full price passes. VSEA’s promo code can be found by logging into your free VSEA.org account and navigating to Bolton Valley page of the VSEA Advantage Program.
How To Get Your Discount:
- Log In To Your VSEA.org Account Here
- Access the Bolton Valley Advantage Program Page Here
- Click here to order your pass(es) today! On the page, you’ll find a list of prices and instructions to order.
Need A VSEA.org Account?
> Sign Up For A Free Account Here!
Questions?
Please contact Doug Gibson by emailing dgibson@vsea.org |
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Winter/Spring 2016 Training Schedule
VSEA Labor Educator Tim Lenoch asked WIA to announce a new round of trainings he has scheduled for winter/spring 2016. If you are interested in registering to attend one or more trainings, you can do so by clicking here. Please direct your training questions to Tim at tlenoch@vsea.org.
Trainings in blue are for all members.
Steward Training: Corrections Unit
Wednesday, April 6
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
Steward Training: The Grievance
Wednesday, April 13
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
Steward Training: The Labor/Management Committee
Friday, April 15
LOCATION CHANGED!
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
NEW LOCATION:
DIVHA Conference Room 312 Hurricane Lane Suite 201
Williston
Diversity & Solidarity For Public Sector Union Members
Friday, April 22
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
Steward 1: Introduction and the Basics
Wednesday, April 27
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
Steward 2: Protecting the Contract and Building the Union
Wednesday, May 11
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
Steward 3: The Contract and Challenges in the Workplace
Wednesday, May 25
VTrans Training Center
1716 U.S. Route 302
Berlin
> Register for the above trainings here!
All VSEA Steward Summit Training
Friday, May 20
8:30am to 4pm
Best Western Waterbury
(45 Blush Hill Road, Waterbury)
> Register for the May 20 All VSEA Steward Summit Training here! |
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We want to know what you think of VSEA’s Week In Action.
> Send us your feedback here |
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