VSEA presents 2025 priorities to Senate Government Operations Committee, warns of corrections staffing crisis

Steve Howard, executive director of the Vermont State Employees Association, told the Senate Government Operations Committee on Jan. 15 that VSEA's top priorities for 2025 include addressing chronic staffing shortages across state government, reining in health-care cost increases for state workers and pursuing pension adjustments for high-stress positions such as corrections officers.

"We represent just over 6,000 public employees," Howard said, describing the union's membership and its policy process. He said vacancy savings in the governor's budget last year totaled about $60,000,000 and that some state agencies, especially the Department of Corrections, are experiencing what he called a "humanitarian crisis" of short-staffing that is affecting employee safety and retention.

Howard cited data showing the highest vacancy rate in Windsor County and a 41% vacancy rate at a Springfield facility, and said the shortages force employees into repeated long shifts and create safety and wellness problems: "We have people calling us after they've driven off the road because they fell asleep," he said.

The VSEA executive told the committee the union will press the administration to negotiate retention measures, and said…