UPDATE: The Washington County Democratic Committee reportedly passed an identical resolution this week.

(Correct. We had some abstentions, given  that there is a good representation of VSEA in our committee, but no no votes. -Jack)

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In the ongoing Vermont State Employees Association (VSEA) conflict with the Governor’s office over post-Irene double-time for approximately 90 displaced state workers, the Lamoille County Democratic Committee last week made it known unanimously that they stand with their traditional allies in labor, calling on Democratic Governor Shumlin to stand down and “desist from castigation of the efforts of working Vermonters to seek an adjudication of contractual grievances through proper and recognized means”. Note that resolution does not make a stand on the merits of the grievance itself, it just calls on the administration to cease the public conflict and allow the grievance to play out through normal channels.

The public nature of this conflict and the surprising personal engagement on the issue by Governor Shumlin has been unprecedented, catching many in the labor community off guard. As I reported for the Bridge last week, despite the administration’s protestations that they (in the words of Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding in his “My Turn” piece for the Freeps) “have no interest in having a public fight with the VSEA,” Spaulding acknowledged to me that it was indeed the administration that leaked the story to the press in the first place. The leak was followed immediately with the full court press by the Governor. For good or ill, Shumlin clearly decided to take on the union publicly over this issue in a big way (Communications chief Sue Allen was going to get back to me when I called the Governor’s office to ask about that decision, but she never did, unfortunately).

The complete Lamoille County resolution after the flip (note: I’m not going to opine on any of this, since I’ve started tracking it as a reporter – just the facts, here)…

RESOLUTION OF LABOR SUPPORT

LAMOILLE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

WHEREAS;  The Lamoille County Democratic Committee believes that John L. Lewis was correct when he said the “It ill-behooves those who have supped at labor’s table to curse with equal vigor and fine impartiality the forces of labor and its adversaries when they become locked in deadly embrace”; and,

WHEREAS;  The Lamoille County Democratic County Committee believes that the Vermont Democratic Party has benefitted substantially from the support of organized labor over many years; and,

WHEREAS;  The Lamoille County Democratic County Committee believes that working people in Vermont have a right to seek redress of contractual grievances free of any public condemnation by public officials;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Lamoille County Democratic Committee that:

(1) The Committee supports recent and ongoing efforts by members of the Vermont State Employee Association to obtain a ruling from duly constituted authority and a clarification of the terms of its contract with the State of Vermont;

(2) The Committee urges elected and appointed public officials to desist from castigation of the efforts of working Vermonters to seek an adjudication of contractual grievances through proper and recognized means;

(3)  The Committee instructs its Chair and delegates to the Vermont State Democratic Committee to submit this resolution to said State Committee and urge the adoption of a similar resolution by said committee.