A new agreement negotiated by Local 221 with Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NEKCA) will bring significant wage increases for workers at this Head Start agency which serves Vermont’s northeast counties, one of the poorest parts of the state. The most underpaid workers will see increases of up to 28 percent.

“This new contract brings $117,000 in wage increases to our members,” said Local 221 Recording Secretary Lee Ann Lee. “We were able to negotiate substantial wage increases for nearly every one of our members. This new two-year contract represents many hours of hard work and dedication.”

In 2002, NEKCA workers agreed to freeze their wage scale and take only annual cost-of-living adjustments in order to help the agency through a difficult financial situation. Their 2019 contract was the first contract since then to update the wage scale.

Following the ratification of the 2019 contract, local leaders carried out an internal organizing campaign to build strength through greater membership involvement. They let management know they expected significant wage improvements in the next contract. Union members took every opportunity to remind their bosses that if the agency wanted to keep a dedicated and loyal workforce, they needed to show that through livable wages that honored work, experience and seniority.

In addition to the wage increases contained in this contract, the union got management to commit to spending the next two years doing wage studies for the area and working on the wage scale.

During the negotiations, which took place over Zoom over the course of three and a half months, Local 221 took no concessions. Besides wages, the contract includes a number of other improvements, including a new holiday (Juneteenth) and paid snow days when work sites close, so workers will no longer be required to use personal time to cover those days. Another significant improvement is in language on cell phones with data plans being offered to all employees — important because in the Northeast Kingdom there is little cell service and workers rely on the data plans on their phones to do their jobs.

The contract also adds language to the discipline and discharge section clarifying workers’ Weingarten Rights. The new language originates from a grievance at the beginning of negotiations that was resolved when management agreed to be trained on Weingarten Rights by the union. The contract also expands union leave language so UE members can attend more union events.

Gender expression language in the non discrimination article of the contract was changed to be more inclusive, and the contract also includes major changes to bereavement. Bereavement leave is no longer limited to specific people that management deems to be a worker’s “family,” and the time can now be used to grieve the loss of people who workers identify as family members, close friends or colleagues.

The Local 221 negotiating committee consisted of Recording Secretary Lee Ann Lee, Chief Steward Deb Brousseau, Kelli Arkley and Lisa Dufour-Valley. They were assisted by Field Organizers Abbie Curtis and Amelia Salata-Hartman.

State workers who were on the front lines through the pandemic are frustrated at the current budget proposals coming from both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly. On August 12, over 100 people, including members of UE Local 150, the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, marched with the statewide NC United for Survival and Beyond to demand a “People’s Budget.” The coalition of community, faith, local elected officials and labor organizations held a mock funeral procession and speak-out rally in the state capital highlighting the urgency of passing a budget that addresses the needs of the people.

Workers demanded real raises for state employees, safe staffing in Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) facilities, $700 million in funding for the UNC System (as part of the Another UNC is Possible campaign), funding for healthcare, housing and public education, and to make corporations pay their fair share of taxes. (Read more about People’s Budget at survivalandbeyond.info/2021-platform.)

Local 150 member Jessica Gazso, a pharmacy technician at Central Regional Hospital and chief steward of the Butner-Area chapter, told the crowd, “currently we are very understaffed and losing lots of experienced staff. Techs and nurses are leaving for better paying jobs.” (Full video of Jessica’s speech can be viewed on the UE150 YouTube channel.)

“The pandemic has led to an increase in mental illness,” said Sekia Royall, president of Local 150 and a DHHS employee who works at O’Berry Center. “We, state DHHS workers, care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society, yet the state budget priorities to do not recognize this. We are chronically underpaid. We were understaffed before the pandemic. Now we are losing even more staff, which makes the safety issues worse. Some units have 50 to 60 percent vacant positions. We deserve safe staffing and a real raise!”

Thanks to the over $5 billion in American Rescue Plan money from the federal government, $6.5 billion in unexpected tax revenue, and several billion dollars in a reserve fund, the state currently has unusually plentiful resources at its disposal. This money could be used to invest in policies that benefit the people. Instead, both House and Senate budgets would leave core services and structures disastrously underfunded while including tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and corporations. Furthermore, the budget fails to expand Medicaid, which would provide healthcare coverage to more working people while being paid for primarily by the federal government.

While including only a pathetic 1.5 percent raise for state employees, the Senate budget also proposes to completely eliminate corporate taxes over the next five years, giving corporations a total of $13.9 billion in tax breaks. The House budget, while keeping to the same low overall budget number, did propose a 2.5 percent raise and $250 bonus for state employees.

“State workers in mental health facilities are facing a major understaffing crisis,” said Peggy Briggins-Price, Chair of Local 150’s DHHS Council and a developmental tech 2 at Caswell Developmental Center. “We need a state budget that keeps our patients and workers safe. The individuals that we serve deserve the best care possible. But in order to do that they need the best staffing possible. You would want that for your family member. We need raises that respect our years of service. We have worked through the entire pandemic, leaving our families every day we come to work for the state and care for these individuals.”

After talking to aides for Representative Larry Yarborough (Granville County), Local 150 member David Bartholemew reported that the union’s lobbying to have language added to the budget to study the root causes of understaffing in DHHS facilities has been successful, but nothing has yet been confirmed.

UE Eastern Region President George Waksmunski also joined the action.Other union members talked with other wavering Democrats, who had previously voted to uphold the Republican’s budget in the Senate, such as Senator Kirk DeViere (Cumberland County). Some went directly to the House chamber where the full session was actively debating the budget. Workers held signs outside the balcony and chanted for funding for “housing, healthcare, not corporate welfare.” House Speaker Tim Moore had to temporarily stop the session because the chanting was so loud. Workers felt proud that their message was heard loud and clear!

UE Local 683, whose members process and transport scrap metal, ratified a one-year contract extension on Saturday, July 24. Negotiating with an exiting employer amid the recent sale of their plant, and with a majority of their members on layoff since last March, the local secured a $1,000 lump sum for all bargaining unit employees and took zero concessions.

It’s been a stressful year for the local. The company, Liberty Iron & Metal (LIM), informed the Executive Board the first week of January that they were closing the plant by the end of the first quarter. Rumored plant sales never materialized. To the union’s surprise, LIM indicated in the spring it would attempt to continue the Erie facility operation under the existing ownership. Then several weeks ago, the local was informed of a purchase agreement between LIM and the Canadian Company American Iron & Metal Recycling Group (AIM).

Written assurances that AIM would recognize the local’s contract once they took over, which the union received during the bargaining process, became crucial to the success of the negotiations.

Another key issue was getting an economic win for everyone in the bargaining unit, including those laid off. The agreement calls for a $1,000 ratification bonus that will apply to all union workers represented by the local. This was a major demand that the local insisted on at the bargaining table, even with the existing employer planning on handing over the business in the coming months.

“Getting something for everyone was really important. We wanted our union members to know we are all union — including those still on layoff from last year,” said UE Local 683 President Ben Seidler at the union’s ratification meeting. “I think we did a good job considering the circumstances — negotiating a contract during a sale like this wasn’t easy,” Seidler added.

“I’m glad we got this done for the members. Our local stood strong under these tough conditions,” commented UE Local Chief Steward Malcolm Toran.

The union bargaining committee consisted of President Ben Seidler, Chief Steward Malcolm Toran, and Financial Secretary Robert Foulk. They were assisted by Field Organizer Ben Wilson. Research Director Karl Zimmerman and International Representative John Thompson provided valuable support during negotiations. UE Eastern Regional President George Waksmunski’s knowledge of the local’s history aided the bargaining process.