About three dozen state workers and union members assailed state budget cuts at a panel discussion hosted by the Vermont State Employees’ Association Monday.
VSEA members talked about how reductions of state employees would strain a workforce that is already strung out. Representatives from the environmental group Rising Tide, the Teamsters union and others spoke as well.
Shannon Morton, who has worked as a social worker for the Department for Children and Families for more than a decade, said that employees in the family services division feel the pressure of repeated rounds of budget cuts.
“I continue to work in a system where those who can perform and exercise the administrative duties of this job are piled upon,” Morton said.
The VSEA has been a vocal critic of proposed FY 2016 budget cuts. Gov. Peter Shumlin proposed a $10.8 million reduction in personnel and labor costs as part of a package to close the $113 million gap between projected revenues and state spending.
The union has refused to reopen the contract with state workers, and the administration has warned there will be layoffs.
John Davy, an employee of the Department of Health, moved to Burlington from Illinois a year and a half ago. He likened Vermont’s budget-writing approach to state spending proposals in Illinois and Wisconsin.
“Not only does it affect my pocketbook, I also feel it’s a flawed economic approach,” Davy said.
Panelists also testified against cuts to state benefits and services in the budget, like the $6 million reduction to the low-income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP).
Many speakers aired concerns about the impact of the reduction in the state labor force and the cuts to state services on Vermonters.
The VSEA and other groups are planning a demonstration in Montpelier on May 1.
