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Special VSEA Meeting: Dues
Sunday, October 25, 2020
12:00 p.m.
Via Zoom
WIA has included a story in the last few editions about members being invited to participate in a special October 25 Zoom meeting to reopen debate on a sliding-scale dues proposal that was proposed by the VSEA Dues Study Committee and passed the Council.
The new dues structure will start with workers' first full paychecks in July 2021. Dues will be based on 0.83% of an employee's pay, with a minimum of $16 and a maximum of $19.
Following the announcement of the coming dues restructuring, some members began circulating a petition to "reconsider" the change, collecting the 100 signatures needed to convene a special meeting, which was called, then verified, by VSEA Clerk Josh Cox.
In an email to members, Cox wrote, "A petition with at least 100 member signatures has been received by the Clerk that states as follows: 'Pursuant to VSEA bylaw 12, sections 3 and 5, the undersigned members request that the clerk call a special meeting of the membership for the sole purpose of entertaining a motion to reconsider the resolution on increasing membership dues [relating to dues structure]. The undersigned request that the meeting be scheduled promptly after submission of this petition and warned to the VSEA membership with at least 14 calendar days’ notice.'"
If you would like to participate in this special meeting, you must pre-register online or by phone--with your name--to participate in this meeting. Once registered, you'll be placed in a waiting room, but you can only gain entry if you provided your name for verification.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Depending on your settings, the link above will open a PDF in your web browser or download the PDF to your computer or device. If you have any questions please email vsea@vsea.org.
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Say What? AHS Secretary Labels DOC's Use Of Garbage Bags As PPE As "Experimental"
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VSEA has been hearing for months about Corrections members being given garbage bags to wear as PPE. In some cases, the bags were being dipped in disinfectant and reused! Some workers have reported being burned by the bleach. At the State's Friday, October 16, press conference, AHS Secretary Mike Smith was asked by a reporter about DOC asking employees to wear garbage bags as PPE. Smith denies it at first and then starts walking it back. Listen to the audio online.
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President Towne's Op-Ed Praises VVH Employees For Pandemic Response. Admonishes Management's Response
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The following op/ed by VSEA President Aimee Towne, appeared Saturday, October 17, in the Bennington Banner:
New Englanders don’t need to look any further than the Soldier’s Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, to witness firsthand how quickly the COVID-19 virus can sicken and sadly, kill, the veterans and staff who reside and work in these kinds of 24/7, health care facilities. Vermonters can be proud that our state’s only Veterans’ Home in Bennington, has, to date, been able to keep all the veterans and others in their care safe from COVID, but frontline workers at the VVH want Vermonters to know that this effort to prevent an outbreak has had little or nothing to do with VVH management and everything to do with workers pulling together to confront a crisis. This commentary is a result of VVH employees wanting to sound the alarm to the public about why they feel VVH management must be replaced immediately before another Soldier’s Home outbreak occurs in Bennington.
At this week’s VVH Board of Trustees’ meeting, several employees attended to read a statement to the board from VSEA. It was the latest action in a months-long effort by VVH employees to shine a light on management’s perceived failures.
VSEA’s statement read:
“VSEA stands behind its members’ request to have an outside investigation into complaints filed about Melissa Jackson and Pat Crossman’s management of the Veterans’ Home. Employees were disappointed at the last Board meeting that no action was taken at that time to even further look into what amounts to very serious concerns of the 100+ nursing staff for whom [Melissa] Jackson and [Pat] Crossman are charged, statutorily, with oversight.
“Our members have taken every single step they can to address their concerns informally and without public campaigns. They have gone through the chain of command over and over to no avail. They have brought matters to the Labor-Management Committee with no sign of change. They have gone through mediation and the HR processes. But our members know that nothing has been done to adequately address their concerns about poor management, evidenced by zero changes. Their concerns have not been addressed. We urge you all as members of the Board of Trustee to fulfill your duty and your oath by taking employees’ concerns seriously and conducting an objective and thorough investigation into the very serious concerns VSEA members have brought forward.”
Here are some examples of how VVH management has dropped the ball since the pandemic appeared in Vermont months ago:
- Staff was treating veterans suspected of being COVID-positive without being given the proper PPE. Management, at the time, would not be transparent with employees about its stockpile of N-95 masks and how many were available to staff. Management also promised for months (since January) that staff would be fit tested, but they never were;
- Employees had to fight management to establish a better protocol to test visitors at the door before they gained entry to the building. Prior to employees speaking out, the onus was on visitors, who were expected to “find” a nurse upon entry and get checked out;
- Employees who wore a mask on the job, prior to the CMS mandate, felt retaliated against by management for wanting to self-protect and keep others safe; and
- The Home’s administrator took a two-day trip to Washington, D.C. (a hot zone, at the time) and immediately came back into the Home upon return, without properly quarantining.
Management has refused to work cooperatively with employees to keep COVID out of the Home, which has left employees no other choice than to pull together in solidarity and depend on each other for support and guidance. Make no mistake; there has been no COVID inside the Vets’ Home because of the vigilance and dedication of the workers, not management.
VSEA’s VVH members are urging Vermonters, especially those of you in Bennington, to hear their alarm when others, sadly, will not — and lend them your support. There’s a second wave of COVID making its way around the country right now, and VVH workers are scared, but they will do their best again to protect their residents and themselves. However, they are truly in dire need of competent managers who we can trust to be making the right decisions in these difficult times. That trust does not currently exist, and this is hurting the residents, their families, and the frontline workers. It’s time for a change at the top.
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VSEA Hopeful VLRB Decision This Week On Judicial Temps Will Someday Apply Across State Gov't
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VSEA is applauding news this week that the Vermont Labor Relations Board (VLRB) has decided to partially grant VSEA's petition for Unit clarification by moving eight temp workers into the Judicial Unit, or you can be invited and temps Judicial rockers from temporary status into our unit, The Board held that these 8 qualify as limited-service employees and are therefore covered by the statute because they worked 2 years and averaged 20 hours a week. There are some other parts to the test, but that is the basic rule. At our request, the Board ordered that the parties negotiate before any adverse action is taken against any of the affected employees. We had petitioned for 15 temporary workers, but understood that some facts were stronger than others,
VSEA General Counsel Tim Belcher says this is a significant victory for the Judicial Unit, and he's further pleased that it also opens the door to further challenges in the Executive Branch and other VSEA Units. The VLRB has answered the fundamental question of whether misclassification of temporary workers in state government can be challenged without terminating the temporary workers, The answer is that the Board is willing to recognize that a misclassified temporary worker is, in fact, a limited-service employee, covered by the statute, who is eligible to be included in whatever bargaining unit covers that job. While the law governing the other VSEA units is different from the Judicial Act, the Board’s ruling gives VSEA options that will apply elsewhere.
The Board’s decision, and the existing laws, still leave room for the Judiciary and the State to employ a large number of temporary workers outside our units. Nonetheless, the ruling opens an avenue for VSEA reps and members to police the most egregious abuses. As a result of a settlement we reached two years ago we now have the data to be able to identify those positions in the Executive Branch that may qualify as limited service positions under the applicable law and the Board’s new standard.
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VSEA Chapters Schedule Meetings To Elect New Officers
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The following VSEA Chapters are holding important meetings soon to elect and/or re-elect Chapter officers:
NEK / St. Johnsbury Chapter
Wednesday, October 28
Noon
Via Zoom
Special election at meeting for NEK / St. Johnsbury Chapter President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, as well as the Chapter's designated Chapter Council seats. More information on VSEA.org.
Lamoille Valley Chapter
Thursday, October 29
Noon
Via Zoom
Special election at meeting for Lamoille Valley Chapter President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, as well as the Chapter's designated Chapter Council seats. More information on VSEA.org.
Rutland Chapter
Thursday, November 12
6:00 p.m.
Via Zoom
Special election at meeting for Lamoille Valley Chapter President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, as well as the Chapter's designated Chapter Council seats. More information on VSEA.org.
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State’s Attorneys’ Office Bargaining Unit Special Meeting 10/29,
Via Zoom
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As chair of VSEA's newest bargaining unit; the State’s Attorneys’ Office, Justin Jiron sent an email this week to members of his office, advising them about a Special Meeting scheduled for October 29, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. to be conducted via ZOOM. The primary purpose of this meeting is to consider, discuss, and approve Bargaining Unit Bylaws.
SAO Unit Zoom Meeting
Thursday, October 29
4:30 p.m.
More information on VSEA.org.
Questions: Please contact VSEA State’s Attorneys’ Office Bargaining Unit Chair, Justin Jiron, justinjiron45@gmail.com
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Quote Of The Week!
"One of the things [DOC employees] have been doing is experimenting with various aspects of PPE. They have been doing their own masks, and they have been experimenting with some of this what I would call ‘plastic material’ in order to look at various options in case we have another surge."
Vermont AHS Secretary Mike Smith, trying his best during a press conference this week to avoid having to admit that the DOC is still having its workers wear garbage bags as personal protective equipment. Mind you, Smith tries several times to legitimize the practice of using garbage bags as PPE. Not acceptable. |
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Non-VSEA specific stories that may be of interest to VSEA members.
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Tomorrow Is National Prescription Drug Disposal Day!
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The Vermont Department of Health has dedicated a full page to inform Vermonters about how the day came to be, as well as how to drop off your outdated prescriptions in this strange year and locations where you can do so.
National 2020 Rx Drug Disposal Day Info
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Thank you for reading Week In Action!
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Current Executive Branch Unit Contracts Posted!
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VSEA Labor Relations Director Gary Hoadley recently let WIA know that the current contracts for all VSEA Executive Branch Units are now posted to the Department of Human Resources and VSEA's websites and VSEA.org.
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Told You're Being Investigated? Watch This Video!
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Please take a few minutes on a break to watch the video, and know that the information being relayed could very well save your job someday. Remember, as a VSEA member, you are entitled to no-cost representation in investigatory meetings that may lead to discipline. Non-members, however, must now pay a rate of $250 to $350 per-hour for the same level of representation!
More: Know Your Union Rights
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State Treasurer Cautions VSEA Members To Ready For A Pension Fight
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At VSEA’s 76th Annual Meeting, VSEA members participating were greeted by State Treasurer Beth Pearce, and she cautioned state employees to begin preparing (again) for a renewed attack soon on state employees’ defined benefit pension plan. Actually, Vermont’s own pension Chicken Little, David Coates, has never stopped his now decade-long campaign to convince lawmakers to implement a 401K plan for new hires to state government. Mind you, the last time VSEA checked, a majority of exempt state employees (read: not VSEA members), when given a choice, chose a defined benefit pension plan.
Pearce did stress that she is unsure right now what action(s) state employees could be asked to make to shore up the pension fund, but she warned it could include a call for employees to increase your contribution. Pearce promised to keep us informed, and she vowed to continue to fight alongside VSEA members to protect your pension.
Continue Reading...
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Did you know? Defined benefit plans are safer and more reliable for Vermont's retirees & are cheaper for taxpayers than risky, Wall St 401(k)-style plans. Learn more about the differences between defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution pension plans (a.k.a. 401K) here.
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Getting Ready To Retire? Retired Already? Join The VSEA Retired Members’ Chapter!
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Long-time VSEA activist and leader Terry Lefebvre is asking VSEA members getting ready to retire to join the VSEA Retirees’ Chapter to continue to be an active and engaged union member, even in retirement. Lefebvre also appeals to VSEA members to talk up the co-workers they know who might be preparing to retire. If you already belong to the Retired Members’ Chapter, a big thanks to you.
Learn More Here About The VSEA Retired Members’ Chapter
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VSEA Advantage Discount Program
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Did you know the average VSEA member can save hundreds of dollars a year by taking advantage of some of the Member-Only benefits offered through your union?
Learn more about the VSEA Advantage Discount Program
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Sugarbush 2020-2021 Corporate Pass Program
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Rates available thru October 28, 2020!
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Note: Depending on your settings, the links above will open PDFs in your web browser or download the PDF to your computer or device. If you have any questions please email vsea@vsea.org.
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Need To Update Your Contact Information
With VSEA?
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