VLWC Accomplishments
to Date:
The Vermont Livable Wage
Campaign has achieved a great deal. Eight years ago when we began our
work, the term 'livable wage' was basically unknown in Vermont. Today it
is well known and there is much public support for livable wages. In
different communities, projects have ranged from urging schools to pay
livable wages to all school workers, solidarity support for union members
fighting for livable wages, and using livable wage figures as income
qualifying guidelines with non-profit services. Dozens of private and
public Vermont employers have increased workers wages, several committing
to the Joint Fiscal Office livable wage numbers.
VLWC has educated
thousands of workers, community members, service providers, nonprofit
workers, and students using our popular education curriculum since 1996.
The Vermont minimum wage has increased four times in the last five
years thanks to the VLWC's legislative work, leading to raises for tens of
thousands of Vermonters. To date, the VLWC network of individual activists
and organizations (unions, non-profits, faith communities, etc) in
coalition with VLWC includes over 20,000 Vermonters.
General Media
Coverage
Over the last eight
years, we have received
unprecedented media coverage on the issue of livable wages including 8 Vermont
Public Radio "Switchboard" programs, over 60 editorials and major news articles
in local and statewide papers, as well as other radio and TV interviews.
Most recently, VLWC's work and history was included as a case study in
Partnering for Change: Unions and Community Groups Build Coalitions for
Economic Justice, Ed. David B. Reynolds, published in early 2004.
2004
On
January 1, 2004, the Vermont minimum wage increased from $6.25 to $6.75
due to VLWC and our allies' hard work to push an increase during the 2003
Vermont legislative session. Over ten thousand Vermonters started the new
year with a $0.50 raise.
In September,
the Vermont Department of Labor & Industry
finalized the Minimum Wage Rules which
dictate what deductions may be made from a worker’s paycheck in Vermont.
The new rules can be read on their website and they went into effect on
September 1st. You can read the rules at
http://www.state.vt.us/labind/Wagehour/rule-final.htm. In
January 2004, the Vermont Department of Labor and Industry proposed
changes to the rules which govern the Vermont minimum wage. These rules
define what deductions an employer can make from an employee's paycheck
for uniforms and employer-provided housing. The Vermont Livable Wage
Campaign believed these changes were a direct contradiction to the
increase of the Vermont minimum wage rate from $6.25 an hour to $6.75 an
hour on January 1, 2004 and called for the Department not make these
changes to the rules.
The uniform and
housing rules have remained the same thanks to over 300 Vermonters
contacting Labor & Industry to oppose these changes. The final rules
contain clear and more concise language. The uniform language is clearer
than the previous rules--absolutely NO deductions may be made for
maintenance or providing a uniform. For room and board, employees are
still required to provide written authorization for goods or
services deductions (i.e. housing or board), otherwise the employer needs
to have proof of the employee's intention to pay for these
goods/services. Also, caps on the amount allowed to be deducted from
employee paychecks for room and board remain in place. All in all, this is
a victory for our Campaign! Thank you to all of you for your support on
this fight!
In February, the
Southwestern Vermont Supervisory Union-ESP workers
(school support staff, over 95% women) settled a contract a one-year
contract with a 4.25 raise after a 18 month active livable wage
contract campaign. The contract falls short for the 17% raise they were
seeking but they preserved their health benefits without an increase in
the employees’ co-pay. Their new contract will expire in July 2004 so the
school support staff are already gearing up for another round of
negotiations and will focus solely on securing the livable wage figure
into their contracts in the next contract. VLWC worked closely with these
support staff workers by educating union leaders on livable wages, holding
educational meetings in the community, mobilizing support at school board
meetings and in the local paper. We look forward to working with them this
summer.
In March, the City of Burlington strengthened the City's Livable Wage Ordinance to
require all contractors to provide written oaths that they pay
all employees the livable wage stated in the ordinance (currently set at
the urban livable wage figure for a single person with no children as
calculated by the
Vermont Joint Fiscal Office). VLWC urged the city not to change the
livable wage number cited in
the ordinance to become an average of the last two years as originally proposed in the beginning of the year.
For 2004,
$11.92/hour (urban figure, for a single person with no children) is the base wage for all city municipal
workers as of January 2004 (excludes Burlington school workers).
This spring VLWC began work on a
new education project to develop a high school
curriculum on economics and livable wages. Several Vermont high
school teachers will help VLWC draft and implement the new curriculum this
fall in four or five pilot schools. VLWC will base some of the curriculum
on educational resources developed by United for a Fair Economy as well as
incorporate unique livable wage popular education activities from our
existing workshop materials.
2004 also marks a renewed effort
to increase our coalition of faith communities, non profit organizations,
unions, and individual activists on the VLWC steering committee and
endorser organizations. So far this year we have welcomed the Southwestern
Vermont Supervisory Union-ESP workers (support staff workers), VT-National
Education Association and the Unitarian Social Action Ministry of
Burlington as new organizational members to VLWC's steering committee and
several individual activists from around the state. Please contact Emma
Mulvaney-Stanak at 802-863-2345 x8 for more information on endorsing the
campaign or joining the VLWC steering committee.
2003
VLWC successfully lobbied the
Vermont Legislature to increase the
Vermont minimum wage from
$6.25 an
hour to $6.75 in January 2004 and then to $7.00 in January 2005. This
increase in the base wage for Vermont workers will place Vermont in the
top five states in the United States for highest minimum wage rates in
2005.
Although VLWC tried to include a cost of living adjustment (COLA) to the
bill, the ending compromise was a $0.75 increase over two years. This
increase will give a raise to over ten thousand Vermonters. VLWC mobilized
dozens of Vermonters to provide testimony during legislative hearings on
the minimum wage and organized a "Flip-Flop" action on the Statehouse lawn
when Governor Douglas flip-flopped on his support for a COLA increase. In
April, VLWC organized a livable wage rally in Burlington drawing over 250
union members, students, faith leaders, and community members to gather
support for the minimum wage bill and to rally support for current livable
wage campaigns.
VLWC
was one of several co-sponsors of the People's Roundtable for a Fair and Healthy
Economy in March which brought together over 200 Vermonters to discuss
the need for fair taxes, livable wages, quality public services, and a
healthy economy. The findings were released in August, and in November and
December several organizations and unions sponsored four regional People's
Roundtable public meetings in Brattleboro, Bennington, Rutland, and
Springfield. Over 150 Vermonters spoke out on economic issues ranging from
sustainable business, livable wage to economic development which benefits
working Vermonters.
In December, The Peace and Justice Center released
Phase 8: Nickel and Dimed, Poverty and Livable Wage Jobs of the Job Gap
Study. For the first time in the Job Gap Study history, the
study included expanded data and analysis based on race and gender. VLWC
now has detailed information on how many women and people of color do not
make a livable wage, live in poverty, and work in certain occupations
proportionately compared to white, male counterparts.
By the end of 2003, our coalition
grew to include, Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, Vermont
Ecumenical Council, and the Washington-Orange Labor Council as new
organizational members to VLWC's steering committee.
2002
In June,
Phase 7: Basic
Needs, Livable Wage Jobs and the Cost of Under-Employment of the Job
Gap Study was released by the Peace and Justice Center.
2001
Throughout state government,
agencies incorporated livable wage language and goals, based
on the Job Gap Study research, into their work plans and for
negotiating contracts. For example, 6,000 state employees won
a new contract with a special provision that establishes $8.10/hr
(Vermont's single person livable wage rate at the time) as a
minimum wage for all permanent full- and part-time workers.
The Vermont Department of
Housing and Community Affairs, which distributes $11 million
annually in federal CDBG funds for economic and housing development,
has adopted the livable wage as one of its criteria in the application
and review process.
2000
VLWC led a successful
and elaborate legislative agenda in 2004. VLWC led efforts to pass
Act
119 (2000) which raised the minimum wage in Vermont from
$5.75 to $6.25 per hour; put an additional $3.5 million into
the Vermont Earned Income Tax Credit program; required the Vermont Joint
Fiscal Office to
calculate basic needs budgets/livable wages for families over the next
four years;
required additional reporting on wages and hours by employers,
and more! Up to 35,000 Vermonters received up to $1,250 in
additional income in the year 2001!
Burlington expanded its Livable Wage Ordinance
to include all contractors
with the city.
At its June 2000 annual meeting,
the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ passed
a resolution supporting the creation of livable wage jobs and
the efforts of the Vermont Livable Wage Campaign. In addition,
the Unitarian Universalist Society in Burlington passed a resolution
to pay their employees a livable wage and to purchase supplies
and services from livable wage employers whenever possible.
In July,
Phase 6 : The
Leaky Bucket: An Analysis of Vermont's Dependence on Imports
of the Job Gap Study was released.
1999
Through a combination of education
(the Vermont Job Gap Study) and advocacy (mobilization),
VLWC led efforts
to pass
Act
21 (1999) which raised the state's minimum wage from $5.25
to $5.75 per hour. Over 15,000 working Vermonters received a
raise! Furthermore, the Legislature appropriated $60,000 to a
Summer Legislative Study Committee to extend the work of the
Job Gap Study and develop policy recommendations for how to create
a livable income for all Vermonters over time (See
1999 Livable Income under
"Livable Income" to read about the findings of this committee).
In July, the Peace and
Justice Center released
Phase 5: Basic
Needs and a Livable Wage 1998 Update of the Job Gap Study.
1998
In February,
Phase 3: The
Social Cost of Underemployment of the Job Gap Study was released.
In 1998, local livable wage coalitions
around the state worked with elected officials in Burlington, Montpelier and Barre
City to adopt livable wage ordinances for city employees ($7.50/hr
in Burlington, $7.91/hr. in Montpelier and Barre). Approximately
800 municipal employees were covered by these ordinances.
Many businesses began calling
VLWC to say that they decided to pay livable wages to their
employees. VLWC worked with Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility
to release
a Livable Jobs Toolkit for small business
owners which provides the outline and tools for employers to better support
their employees.
In October,
Phase
4: Policy Recommendations of the Vermont
Job Gap Study was released and discussed policy
changes proposed by VLWC to support livable wages and better economic
development.
1997
Based on the methodology of
the Minnesota Job Gap Study, the first Job Gap Study
Phase 1: Basic
Needs and a Livable Wage was released in January.
Phase 2: Livable
Wage Jobs: The Job Gap was released in May.
Town Resolutions
Residents of 21 towns passed resolutions at their annual town
meetings calling on the state legislature to do more to create
livable wage jobs (Bethel, Braintree, Brattleboro, Brookfield,
Burlington, Castleton, East Montpelier, Hinesburg, Huntington,
Marshfield, Plainfield, Putney, Randolph, Richmond, Rochester,
Starksboro, Waitsfield, Weathersfield, Weybridge, Winooski, and
Woodbury).
