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 the union plans to bring family members of affected employees to testify at the Statehouse about impacts on households.

Health-care costs for members were another priority Howard raised. He described recent double-digit increases in insurance costs over two years and said VSEA is looking at models such as reference-based pricing, which in other states negotiates hospital payments based on Medicare rates plus a percentage. Howard said reference-based pricing has produced savings in states he cited, and that VSEA will pursue related proposals this session.

On pensions, Howard outlined proposals to change the treatment of "Group G" members'currently defined to include corrections officers and certain probation and parole staff'to make that group more comparable to "Group C" (sworn law-enforcement) benefits. He said the change would move toward earlier retirement eligibility and higher contribution rates for Group G to hold the pension fund's liability neutral, and estimated any such change would require additional state appropriations to avoid increasing the fund's unfunded liability.

Howard also asked the committee to consider expanding service-credit rules so post-Vietnam veterans (Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts) could receive the same pension service credit veterans of earlier conflicts receive; VSEA estimates an actuarial analysis of that change would cost about $25,000.

Other VSEA priorities Howard listed included legislation to curb privatization of state work, a "temp bill of rights" for temporary employees who lack sick and vacation leave, workplace safety and security measures for state facilities (including discussion of creating buffer zones around some state buildings after a recent incident in White River Junction), and allowing certain categories of employees with high physical or mental stress to have modified pension rules.

Committee members asked procedural and programmatic questions. Senator Klotick asked whether disciplinary and leave standards are consistent across departments; Howard said implementation varies, and that his members are concerned about the length of investigations and the time employees are kept off duty pending outcomes. Howard said many such administrative leaves are later unsubstantiated and that long leave periods are demoralizing amid severe staffing shortages.

Howard described several operational issues that he said affect community organizations and local governments, including the reduced availability of work crews from the Department of Corrections that had previously performed tasks such as mowing nonprofit cemeteries. He said work crews were curtailed during COVID and later by department decisions, and that community groups are urging restoration of supervised outside work opportunities for nonviolent or sentenced individuals.

Howard provided several near-term engagement items: VSEA will host three legislator-member dinners (public safety, corrections staffing and health care/reference-based pricing), and the union will continue to consult members and member leaders in formulating testimony and legislative language.

No committee votes or formal actions were taken during the segment of the meeting devoted to the VSEA presentation; the discussion was recorded as committee testimony and planning for future committee consideration of bills and reports.

Ending: The committee arranged follow-up items including coordinating joint meetings with the House Government Operations Committee to hear overlapping reports and agreed to consider some of the topics Howard raised in future agenda planning sessions. Howard thanked the committee and said he would remain available for questions and follow-up.