Home care workers have reached an agreement with the Vermont Agency of Human Services to get at least $1 million in retention bonuses that were never paid, the union told VTDigger.
The home care workers’ union filed a grievance in June, claiming the agency failed to send more than 700 workers two rounds of bonus payments they were due for remaining at their jobs. The bonus payments ranged between $1,000 and $2,500 per round.
The new agreement is “pretty much what was asked for,” said George Millette, an organizer for the local chapter of the national American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, on Monday.
Rachel Feldman, a spokesperson for the agency, said via email that the intent of the bonuses was to provide “stability” to the workforce and “ensure that people stayed for at least three months.”
“The Agency is making sure those persons who demonstrated their commitment by remaining employed and working the three months are eligible for the bonuses,” Feldman said. “We worked with the Union to achieve a mutually agreeable outcome.”
The dispute centered on a letter sent to workers for the first two rounds of bonuses, asking each worker to sign and return a form in order to receive their payments, Millette said.
The union argued that the letter was an additional burden that could not be asked of the workers, Millette said. Those who weren’t proficient in English or weren’t expecting the additional paperwork told the union they missed the letters.
After several weeks of negotiations, the two parties agreed that the agency would send the bonuses to any worker who qualified, regardless of whether they returned the form, Millette said.
The union agreed to the agency’s proposal to allow workers to opt out of receiving the payments, in case the additional income pushed them above income limits to receive certain benefits, Millette said.
A similar system applies to the third and final round of bonuses, which is based on workers’ employment through July of this year, Millette said.
Feldman said via email that the deadline for signing the “commitment” letter for this year has been extended to Aug. 15.
Workers who don’t sign the letter will receive yet another letter, this one allowing them to opt out, before they receive the payment. Millette said the multiple letters seemed “redundant,” but he said one of the most common complaints from home care workers is lack of communication from the state.
“Redundancy here is seemingly, at least for the time being, necessary to make sure everyone is aware of what’s going on,” he said.
The union still has an unfair labor practice charge pending against the agency for not providing full records of hours worked, Millette said.
It also plans to begin negotiations on a new contract soon, as the current one expires in June 2024. Millette said he expects a key focus of the negotiations will be getting more money to workers, who currently earn a minimum rate of $14.05 per hour.
“It’s just simply not enough,” he said.
