VLRB Issues Complaint On Way State Implemented Its Infants-At-Work Policy
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VSEA learned late last Friday that the Vermont Labor Relations Board (VLRB) had issued a complaint against the State for implementing its well-intentioned infants-at-work policy without first negotiating the change in working conditions with VSEA, as is required by law.
The VLRB has scheduled a hearing for August 22 to decide whether or not to issue a formal unfair labor practice (ULP) against the State.
Read VLRB Complaint: https://bit.ly/2L5QSK8
Between now and the hearing, VSEA leaders, members and staff will be meeting to talk about next steps if the VLRB does issue a formal ULP.
Important: The reason VSEA is challenging this program is because of the State’s failure to negotiate a change in working conditions with your union and the dangerous precedent it would set if VSEA did not call out the state for its spontaneous implementation of this policy or any other policy down the road that impacts employees’ working conditions.
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Labor Relations Director’s Message To Membership In Advance Of Fall Bargaining
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VSEA Director of Labor Relations Gary Hoadley shared the following message with VSEA’s Facebook community on July 3, and here it is again for any member or retiree who isn’t on Facebook or for those who are but might have missed the post:
On Monday, July 1, VSEA Executive Director Steve Howard and I delivered this letter to the Governor’s Office as formal notification that VSEA is seeking to negotiate new collective bargaining agreements for the Non-Management, Corrections, and Supervisory Bargaining Units that would be effective on July 1, 2020. Per the respective contracts, VSEA must notify the Administration in writing during the month of July 2019. Negotiations will begin in August.
Our VSEA Bargaining Teams have been meeting to prepare for negotiations by reviewing recommendations from the union membership and developing contract proposals to address those issues. Input to your bargaining team is critical when seeking contract changes that are most important to the union membership. The bargaining teams and staff negotiators are committed to improve communication on the progress of negotiations to provide greater opportunity for member input as changes occur throughout the bargaining process. VSEA is working to develop a strategy for keeping members informed, involved and, if necessary, prepared to take action in support of a fair contract settlement.
The last two contracts were decided by the Vermont Labor Relations Board when VSEA and the State could not reach a negotiated settlement. Any contract is best decided when a mutual agreement reached between the union and the employer at the bargaining table is ratified by the union membership. VSEA has a long history of achieving important contract improvements in direct negotiations. Standing together, VSEA can again reach a fair contract settlement at the bargaining table.
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VSEA Legislative Committee & Staff’s End-Of-Session Report
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| At the June VSEA Council meeting, VSEA Legislative Committee Chair Margaret Crowley and Legislative Specialist Tom Abdelnour shared a powerpoint presentation with the body that summarized the 2019 legislative session that ended in May.
VSEA members and retirees are invited to:
View Summary |
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11 Employee Groups File RFRs
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Eleven job-title groups have notified VSEA of their intent to have VSEA submit a class “request-for-reclassification” (RFR), and each group has met the required deadlines contained in VSEA policy. VSEA will now work with these groups to ensure that the RFR’s are submitted within the timelines outlined in the respective collective-bargaining agreements.
If you are a VSEA member working in one of the following job classes—and want to offer input or feedback—you should contact the group point person, listed beside the job classes below:
- Game Warden II (Asa Sargent)
- Game Warden III (Kelly Price)
- Game Warden IV (Keith Gallant)
- AOT Senior Maintenance Worker (Alain Pion)
- DOC Work Crew Leader (Randall Chaleff)
- CCO (Travis Vaudrien)
- FFSS/ Cook C (Jamie Manor)
- Public Safety Barracks Clerk (Steve Stearns)
- Military Maintenance Specialist/ MMS (Dennis Jewett)
- Security Guard (Craig Genau)
- SOS (Ben Webster)
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Board Votes To Send 4 Members To NE "Summer School For Women In Unions." Responses Needed ASAP!
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At its July 10 meeting, the VSEA Board of Trustees voted to send four members to the United Association for Labor Education’s (UALE) 44th“Northeast Summer School for Women in Unions and Worker Organizations.” It’s being held July 27 to July 31 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. VSEA has sent contingents to the UALE Summer School in the past and almost all participants report a very positive experience.
Because the School begins in just a few weeks, please let VSEA know if you are interested in attending as soon as possible! Send an email, expressing your desire to attend to vsea@vsea.org. Please write “UALE School” in the subject line.
Here’s a description about the School from a flyer:
For decades, United Association for Labor Education (UALE) Summer Schools have provided leadership, skill-building, networking, and educational programs to train and empower women to take on leadership roles in labor organizations.
Summer schools provide a unique, rigorous, and immersive experience – one suited to the best innovations of the current labor movement. The themes, topics, workshops, and panels speak to the urgency for gender equality in leadership, solidarity, and movement-building creativity.
Workers are under attack, and it’s time for a renewed commitment to developing our next generation of leaders.
Learn More About The Summer School Program Here |
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NMU Bargaining Team Seeks Clerk
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NMU Chairperson Bob Stone sent the following email to Unit members on July 3:
VSEA’s Non-Management Unit is looking for a new Bargaining Team Clerk.
If this is a position that interests you, please submit a letter of interest by noon on Friday, July 19, to:
Bob Stone
NMU Chairperson
c/o VSEA
155 State St.
Montpelier, VT 05602
Email: bob272vsea@gmail.com
Please note that the NMU Clerk is required to attend every NMU Bargaining Team meeting–100%. Currently, the Team is meeting once a week and this schedule is expected to continue through the fall and possibly into the new year. Your NMU contract contains language that permits Bargaining Team members to attend six meetings to prep for negotiations, using "union bargaining release time." The Team has met one day so far of the six currently allotted.
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VSEA’s 75th Annual Meeting Is September 14
At Okemo! Register Today!
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Council and Annual Meeting meal registration must be received by:
4:30 p.m. July 22, 2019
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Each September, VSEA invites members to attend the union’s most important event of the year; its Annual Meeting. At the meeting, there is discussion about VSEA’s operating budget, legislative priorities and many of the other issues impacting VSEA members and your services. Often, these discussions and debates are followed by a vote by the full body, and every active VSEA member in attendance gets a vote.
VSEA also hosts a barbeque the night before Annual Meeting, offering members an opportunity to network with colleagues and fellow union members in an informal setting. In addition, prizes and VSEA swag will be awarded to some lucky members attending this year’s Annual Meeting.
Your Union’s 75th Annual Meeting Is Being Held Saturday, September 14 At Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow Vermont! We hope you can make it!
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Link To Reserve Room(s) Is Now Operational!
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The link for VSEA members to reserve a room(s) is now working! Okemo is apologizing for any inconvenience.
Reserve Room Online
If you don’t want to reserve online, you can also reserve a room by calling 1-800-786-5366.
VSEA members will need to use a special rate code for the event, which is:
CM9VSEA
Room types available:
- Inn Room (occupancy 2-4)
1 to 2 nights = $159 per night
3 nights = $144.54
- Studio (occupancy 2-4)
1 to 2 nights = $173 per night
3 nights = $157.27
- One-Bedroom (occupancy 2-6)
1 to 2 nights = $195 per night
3 nights = $177.63
- Two-Bedroom (occupancy 4-6)
1 to 2 nights = $235 per night
3 nights = $213.63
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| Questions call: Victoria Thorpe 802-753-6485, Amy Kinsell 802-262-1314 or Karen Marchant 802-249-4562. |
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Submit Your 2019 Annual Meeting Award Nominations Online Today!
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| It’s time again to submit your nominations for a 2019 VSEA Outstanding Performance Award in the categories below. Click the buttons to make nominations online: |
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Outstanding VSEA Chapter:
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Outstanding VSEA Steward:
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Outstanding Service to VSEA:
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Outstanding Public Service:
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Outstanding VSEA Staff Member:
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| VSEA’s Awards and Scholarships Committee is urging members to give some thought to each of these awards and if you know of a deserving state employee—or a deserving Chapter—then please don’t hesitate to submit your nomination(s).
Winners will be announced at VSEA’s Annual Meeting in September. |
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Next Friday Is The Deadline To Submit Your VSEA Officer Candidate Petition
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A reminder that Friday, July 16, is the deadline to submit your petition to run for election to one of the following Officer positions:
- President
- First Vice President
- Second Vice President
- Clerk
- Treasurer
All Officer posts are two-year terms
Note:
If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to email vsea@vsea.org or call 802-223-5247. |
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VSEA Steward Training Being Held Next Saturday!
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VSEA Field Services Director Gretchen Naylor asked WIA to include an announcement about this upcoming Steward training:
Montpelier
Saturday, July 20
8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
VSEA HQ
155 State Street, Montpelier
View PDF Agenda Here
Please RSVP to VSEA Administrative Assistant Sue DeVoid at: sdevoid@vsea.org or call 802-223-5247.
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Steward Trainings Posted To Website
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| This week, VSEA Field Services Director Gretchen Naylor posted several PDF versions of the steward training presentations she is leading statewide. Note: Depending on your settings, each link below will open a PDF in your web browser or download the PDF to your computer or device.
The posted trainings include:
1) The Role of Stewards In Grievances
2) Steward Training – Providing Representation In An Investigation
3) Duty Of Fair Representation
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VSEA Board Reminds Members To Contact DHR If Over-Billed By Provider Due To Unpaid BlueCross BlueShield Claim
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| VSEA’s Board of Trustees is reminding members who have been over-billed by a health care provider as a result of non-payment of a claim(s) by Blue Cross / Blue Shield to contact the Department of Human Resources.
DHR Benefits Division Contact Info
VSEA members were alerted to this issue and problem in a May 10 WIA story.
From that piece:
Members of VSEA’s Benefits Advisory Committee (BAC) recently met with Blue Cross/Blue Shield representatives and Department of Human Resources’ Benefits Division staff to inquire about numerous reports from VSEA members, retirees and staff that their claims were not being paid. The BAC requested the meeting and what they discovered is alarming.
According to Blue Cross, 6,302 claims for state employees and retirees have currently not been paid, totaling approximately $20 million. Of those, 2,330, totaling $10m, are 30-days past due. Blue Cross representatives blamed the delay on a new automated claims system the company installed in January 2019.
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Every VSEA member and retiree who is waiting on a claim–and those whose claims were paid incorrectly–is urged to contact the Department of Human Resources’ Benefits Division to demand that your claim(s) be paid and remind them that an unpaid claim can sometimes break a family financially. Simple request; do your job!
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Want To Learn How To Fish?
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| WCAX reports this week on a fishing basics program that was jointly launched this year by Vermont State Parks and Fish and Wildlife. The "Let’s Go Fishing" program caters to people who have never fished before, or have minimal experience, and the clinics are being held throughout the summer at lakes across Vermont.
"The whole point of these programs are for people who have never fished before," Vermont Fish and Wildlife employee Corey Hart tells WCAX. "We are doing these programs to try to get more people out there and actually fishing. A program like this being done at a state park, these tend to appeal a lot to families, so there are a lot of families maybe camping at the state park and they are looking for something fun to do. They will come out go do a day of fishing and hopefully continue fishing the rest of summer."
Future "Let’s Go Fishing" Clinic Schedule |
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VSEA Insurance Administrator Will Be At The Vermont Psychiatric
Care Hospital
July 18 and 19
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A message from Joanne Woodcock,
VSEA Benefits Administrator: |
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7 am to 2 pm.
Judge’s Chambers
By appointment only.
To set an appointment please
use this link.
I would like to provide you with a quote before signing up, please provide your age. Family or individual coverage.
Disability insurance is available to only the employee.
Email me Joanne@vseainsurance.com
for a quote.
Please see the linked brochure.
Guaranteed Issue. $50,000 Term or Whole life insurance with no health questions asked.
Be advised, the state offers no short term disability other than accrued sick leave.
VSEA’s disability insurance can help protect your income in the event of an accident or sickness.
You must be a full dues-paying member of VSEA to be eligible for this benefit. If you are not currently a VSEA member, you can sign up online.
Joanne Woodcock
Vermont State Employee’s Association
Benefits Administrator
888-510-4467 (call me toll free)
877-485-3374 (fax)
Joanne@vseainsurance.com |
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Quote Of
The Week!
"VSEA has a long history of achieving important contract improvements in direct negotiations. Standing together, VSEA can again reach a fair contract settlement at the bargaining table.”
VSEA Labor Relations Director Gary Hoadley, in a written message to the membership he put out in advance of upcoming negotiations this fall with the State.
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Member Appreciation Day Event
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Judge Rules "Scabby" The Inflatable Rat Can Remain As Part Of Workers’ Protest!
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| "Scabby" made an appearance at an April 2015 Vermont labor rally outside the State House in Montpelier. |
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| While WIA was on a brief hiatus, a federal judge in New York denied a federal NLRB request to have "Scabby" the inflatable rat removed from a site where LIUNA members are protesting the building of a new supermarket.
“As a threshold matter, the court notes that Local 79’s ‘peaceful use of stationary, inflatable rats and a cockroach to publicize a labor protest is protected by the First Amendment,’” U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis wrote in his July 1 decision.
According to a story posted to Bloomberg Law on July 2, "the judge went a step further, warning the NLRB that a federal court enjoining expressive conduct would be ‘untenable’ and ‘raise serious constitutional concerns.’” |
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Insiders Say Next AFL-CIO President Likely To Be A Woman
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Elizabeth Shuler and Sara Nelson
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| Current AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka still has two years left in his term but speculation is already happening about who his successor will be. According to a July 9 post to bizwomen, the front runners right now are current AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Shuler and Association of Flight Attendant’s President Sara Nelson. No woman has ever held the post, and, in 2009, Shuler was actually the first woman elected to her position.
“It’s really exciting that it’s two women,” says Janice Fine, a professor of labor studies at Rutgers. “We know that a majority of the workforce is women. We know that since the early anti-sweatshop movement, women have been at the forefront of fighting for workers’ rights. Women have only recently got to the leadership of national unions. So, this is another milestone.” |
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GE Workers Reject Contract
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| The Albany Times Leader reports this week that General Electric Co. employees nationwide voted recently to reject a new contract proposal that union leadership had recommended. An increase in workers’ health care costs is the reason being given for the vote against.
From the story:
One of GE’s largest and most influential union locals is already saying that a strike could be on the horizon this time around, as well.
"We are preparing for a nationwide strike of all IUE-CWA GE Conference Board locals," IUE-CWA Local 201 in Lynn, Mass., wrote in a post on its Facebook page Wednesday.
"For now, report to work as usual and prepare for a strike," the post continued.
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July 16
VSCSF Executive Board Meeting
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
9:00 a.m.
July 16
VSEA Officer Candidate Petitions Due
4:30 p.m.
July 19
Corrections Unit Bargaining Team
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
8:00 a.m.
July 19
Member Appreciation Day Event – Brattleboro
State Office Building
First Floor Conference Room
232 Main Street
Brattleboro
12:00 p.m.
July 20
Steward Training
VSEA HQ
155 State Street
Montpelier
8:30 a.m. |
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| Need To Contact A VSEA Staff Person Directly But Need The Number? |
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| VSEA HQ is reminding members and retirees of each staff person’s direct phone number, in the event you know who you need to talk with but you don’t know their direct phone number.
Here’s the staff direct line list |
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Reminder:
State Employees Who Are Threatened On The Job Should File "eAlert" Form |
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| We are reminding members that there is an online form to fill out if you are threatened while at work.
Find The State’s “eAlert” Homepage Here
Important: Once you land on the eAlert page, you will see an entry labeled “threat” in the menu provided. Click on it and you land on a page with written instructions and fields to complete.
In November 2017, the current Secretary of the Administration sent the State’s “Workplace Safety and Security” policy to state employees, and VSEA members are encouraged to read through the different policies, examples and responses, prior to an actual event occurring. |
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VSEA Membership Drive 2019
Now Underway! |
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| Strength In Numbers!
A reminder that your union’s 2019 membership-recruitment drive is underway. Rewards for recruiting new members between now and September 1!
- 2 new members – Dunkin Donuts gift card;
- 5 new members – VSEA insulated coffee mug; or
- 10 new members – $50 VISA gift card!
Bonus! Recruit a new member and receive an entry in a drawing to win one of four $300 prizes to be awarded at VSEA’s 2019 Annual Meeting! Each new recruit earns you an additional entry! Just be sure to have your recruits add your name in the "Recruited By" line of the VSEA Membership Application.
More Membership Drive Information Here! |
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| Need a quick reference to help with your recruiting? You can view an informational webpage with some recruitment tips and advice here.
If you have any questions, or want a list of non-members in your area, please contact VSEA Director of Operations and Organizing Amy Kinsell by email: akinsell@vsea.org |
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| Told You’re Being Investigated? Watch This Video! |
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It is important that every VSEA member knows his or her rights when it comes to union representation in investigatory meetings. Union representation at these meetings is a cornerstone of the labor movement. Your right to representation—as outlined in your contract and, in some cases, labor law—can be complicated.
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
Not currently a VSEA member?
You can sign up online.
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| What You Should Know About The Anti-Worker Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court Ruling |
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If you haven’t already, begin educating yourself today about what the Janus decision means—or supplement what you know already. Please also inform your co-workers about this Janus page and talk with them about what you learned and remind them of the importance of a union in their everyday life. You could make a difference. Every study shows that nothing is more effective than member-to-member communication.
Learn More On VSEA.org
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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 asked Council 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 appealed to Council members to talk up the Chapter to co-workers they know who might be preparing to retire.
With a possible fight looming on retirement security, Lefebvre stressed the importance to build the Chapter to be able to mobilize large numbers of past state workers to protect and defend the benefits they bargained to win over decades.
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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| What is the VSEA Advantage 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 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 |
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Need To Update Your Contact Information
With VSEA?
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