Over two dozen members of the Vermont Workers' Center and Vermont Labor Against The War marched in Boston on Saturday, October 27th as part of a national rallies against the war.
See more photos
See Boston Globe Story
Workers' Center members join 10,000+ at Boston March Against The War
Free Workers' Rights Seminar in Barre and VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Hotline On The Road: The Vermont Workers Center is taking its popular Workers Rights Hotline on the road.
We’ve invited officials from Vermont’s departments of Wage & Hour, Workers’ Compensation, and the Attorney General’s office to join the Hotline Staff in answering your questions about your rights at work.
Get Answers to your Questions about
- discrimination
- unpaid wages
- harassment
- work related injuries
- howyou can help build a workers' rights movement and more
More questions call the Vermont Workers' Rights Hotline at 866-229-0009.
Volunteers Needed: The Hotlline staff of the Vermont Workers Center is seeking 1 - 2 additional volunteers who would be willing to take a weekly or twice monthly shift on the hotline. Hotline volunteers take questions from workers over the phone and provide information about their rights at work, make referrals and sometimes offer other assistance. The Workers Center will provide training for anyone wishing to join the existing hotline crew of volunteers. We are especially interested in anyone who do a Saturday or Sunday shift once a week or twice a month but are also interested in recruiting another volunteer for a weekday shift. Shifts are two hours are may be done from either the Montpelier office or from Burlington.
The hotline staff is also looking for help leafletting downtown Barre and/or Montpelier any day from now until November 8. We are distributing fliers about the upcoming Hotline on the Road event scheduled for November 8 in Barre. Email hotline [at] workerscenter.org if you are interested in volunteering.
The VWC is also looking for folks to help paint its new Burlington office. Email james [at] workerscenter.org if you can help.
Benefit a success
Matt Howard from Iraq Veterans Against The War (IVAW) spoke powerfully at the IVAW and Workers' Center benefit show Friday night, where there was a big turnout despite some serious pouring rain outside. The weather delayed Bernie Sanders' flight home, but we had great music and a lot of fun.
Much thanks to everyone who came out in the rain to support the cause and special thanks to all the bands and Julie Winn and Brendan Hatch who organized the show! Stay tuned for some exciting Workers' Center news coming soon...
Friday Night at Metronome!
Doors open at 9pm! Come to dance and support the VT Workers' Center and Iraq Vets Against The War. If you haven't heard Matt Howard yet, don't miss this opportunity. Bernie will be there also, schedule permitting. Email james [at] workerscenter.org if you have any questions.
Burlington Para-educators Reach Tentative Agreement!
At 8:30pm on Friday, October 12th, the Burlington Education Association (BEA) and the Burlington School District reached a tentative contract agreement for Para-Educators. Details of the contract will be shared upon ratification.
“For the past three years, Burlington Para-Educators have been working to make livable wages a reality. On behalf of the BEA, I would like to thank the hundreds of community members who have attended school board meetings, contacted school board commissioners, attended rallies, marches, attended the Labor Day parade, signed petitions in support of livable wages, wrote letters to the newspapers, and in countless other ways, supported our campaign for livable wages for our Para-Educators,” says Rebecca Smith, BEA President. “We encourage the community to continue to support the other school employees still in negotiations. We’d like to especially thank the Vermont Workers’ Center, the Vermont Livable Wage Campaign, and the other participants in the Burlington Livable City Coalition. The BEA is committed to working in collaboration to make Burlington a truly livable city.”
Stay tuned for next steps to support the rest of the Burlington School support staff still in negotiations, which includes the food service and custodial and maintenance workers. Having livable wages for all Burlington School staff will be a huge step forward for our community.
Velan Valve Strike Over
The Velan Valve workers reached an agreement last night and went back to work today. Mark Nadeau, IAM Local 2704 union president, he said they reached a compromise on health care insurance, still a hike but not as big as the company wanted. Thank you to everyone who stopped by their picket line to demonstrate support (and all those who were planning on heading down today!)
Mark thought that he and other IAM Local 2704 union members would definitely be interested in joining the VWC Healthcare Action Committee to make health care publicly financed and a basic right for every Vermonter.
If you would also be interested in getting invovled with a VWC Healthcare Action Committee let us know, email james [at]workerscenter.org.
Also, two VWC members were in Peter Freyne's column in Seven Days this week. Jen Henry, RN and President of the Fletcher Allen nurses union and UPV/AFT and Matt Howard from Iraq Vets Against The War. Check it out, there's a photo of Jen.
http://www.sevendaysvt.com/columns.html
Support Striking Velan Valve Workers in Williston!
This week 113 workers Velan Valve in Williston, who members of International Aerospace Machinists Local 2704 went on strike. Their contract expired on October 7th and workers voted to strike the factory instead of letting the company almost triple their health insurance costs. Velan Valve is a worldwide manufacturer of valves and the largest sutomer of the Williston factory is the US Government.
PLEASE STOP BY THEIR PICKET LINE
Which is operating 24 hours a day until the strike settles.
Velan Valve Corp. is located at 94 Avenue C in Williston
See the story in the WCAX
Solidarity for Midwives and Burlington School Support Staff
Dozens of nurses and community supporters celebrate outside Fletcher Allen Board of Trustees meeting after agreement to 24/7 Midwifery Program was restored. 
Community members, members of the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP), Vermont Livable Wage Campaign and Vermont Workers' Center attend Burlington School Board meeting to reiterate call for livable wages.
JOIN US TUESDAY For 2 Burlington Board Meetings
Fletcher Allen Trustees Meeting: Come show your support of the midwives and make sure the agreement is in place to keep the 24/7 midwifery program. The efforts of the community and nurses union has resulted in a tentative agreement (see the Free Press story ) ), now we need to make sure they follow through with it.
Burlington School Board Meeting: Its coming down to the wire, join us for this final push to establish livable wages for all school support staff. The best way to start fighting poverty and stopping paying poverty wages. Also, join us in supporting the proposal to take closing any of the Old North End elementary schools off the table
Looking Ahead
On Saturday, September 29th twenty members of the Vermont Workers' Center (VWC) spent the day discussing priorities and next steps. In 2006, VWC members decided that they would prioritize leadership development and laid the foundation to start the VWC Solidarity School and established the principle of: We believe that the most effective means of change is when people engage in collective action to place direct demands upon those who hold power.
Now entering its 10th year, priorities for 2008 and beyond include:
- Building off VWC Solidarity School 2007 to expand popular education and organizing training opportunities for VWC members.
- Creating a Healthcare Action Committee to fight to make quality health care publicly financed and a basic right for every Vermont resident
- Expanding an building the Burlington Livable City Campaign to include workers who work in more industries
- Exploring getting a building in Burlington to open up a real Workers Center!
- Starting a VWC Art Committee to make puppets and other creative props for actions and events
- Building the Student Labor Action Project statewide
- Continuing to mobilize solidarity for any group of workers who organize for more rights, building Vermont Labor Against The War, operating the Vermont Workers' Rights Hotline and supporting the Justice For Healthcare Workers Campaign.
Email james [at] workerscenter.org if you are interested in learning more about getting involved in the above areas and/or let us know other issues you would like to work on.
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