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Media Coverage 2009 - 2008 - 2007 2009 Vt. minimum wage won't rise next year, will remain at $8.06 By Louis Porter Vermont Press Bureau Published: October 20, 2009 MONTPELIER — The state's minimum wage will not go up next year, in spite of a 2005 law instituting an annual cost-of-living adjustment. That's because the state's minimum wage cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is based on the consumer price index increase from one August to the next. The CPI has actually declined 1.5 percent from September of 2008, so the state's minimum wage will remain at $8.06 per hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. An adjustment to Vermont's minimum wage law this year stipulated that even when the price of consumer goods declines, the minimum wage does not... Coalition Backs Paid Sick Leave Press Release Published September 15, 2009 in Burlington Free Press Advocates on Monday gave a new reason to extend paid sick leave to more Vermont workers: the H1N1 swine flu. Members of the Vermont Paid Sick Days Coalition said many low-wage workers go to work when ill or send their sick children to school because they can’t afford to take unpaid time off from work. “All Vermonters get sick, but not all Vermonters have time to get better,” said Colin Robinson... Coalition Urges Increased Sick Leave By: DANIEL BARLOW Vermont Press Bureau Published September 15, 2009 in Times Argus/Rutland Herald MONTPELIER – With the threat of swine flu looming this fall and winter, advocates for children and working families say a law increasing access to paid sick time for workers is more important than ever. The Vermont Paid Sick Days Coalition, a group of nearly a dozen labor and advocacy organizations, say they hope the Green Mountain State will be the first in the nation requiring most employers to offer paid sick days to their workers. Supporters say the threat of widespread infection from the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu, makes the issue even more critical... Fight For Paid Sick Time Press Release September 15, 2009 WCAX News A coalition of Vermont organizations wants to mandate paid sick time for Vermont workers. And they say it's critically important right now because of the threat of H1N1, and the CDC's recommendation to stay home from school or work if you're showing any signs of illness. At a press conference this afternoon, the Vermont Paid Sick Days Coalition said more than 106,000 Vermonters do not get paid if they stay home from work, either because of their own illness or a child's... Vermont's Workers Need Paid Sick Time Editorial Published: June 10, 2009 in Brattleboro Reformer It seems like a relatively simple thing. If you get sick, you shouldn't have to choose between safeguarding your health or getting paid. Yet 57 percent of Vermont businesses do not offer any paid sick time to their employees. A group called the Vermont Paid Sick Days Coalition recently called attention to this as part of a campaign to get a new law enacted in the 2010 Legislative session that would give many more workers in the state paid sick days off... Coalition to Push for Sick Pay By Daniel Barlow - Vermont Press Bureau Published: May 28, 2009 in Times Argus When the swine flu broke out in the United States last month, President Barack Obama and the U.S. Center for Disease Control warned people to stay home from work if they had flu symptoms. Unfortunately, for workers at more than half the state's businesses, that would mean taking time off without pay. "Hard working Vermonters shouldn't have to choose between being healthy and getting a paycheck," said Colin Robinson, the spokesperson for the Vermont Livable Wage Campaign... Exploring Alternative Compensation Kate Duffy - WCAX News Burlington, Vermont - April 29, 2009 Two dozen business managers and human resource directors attended a workshop Wednesday on how to retain employees and remain profitable -- two challenges in tough economic times. "There's value-added perks you can add to somebody's benefits that don't necessarily cost any money to your business," said Tara Pfeiffer-Norrell of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, which co-sponsored the workshop. Organizers offered tips to help businesses explore alternative, non-cash compensation for their employees. A Fair Wage Editorial Published January 23, 2009 in The Brattleboro Reformer Last week, the Vermont Joint Fiscal Office released updated livable wage calculations within the 2009 Basic Needs Budgets report. The livable wage is the hourly wage or annual income sufficient to meet an individual's or family's basic needs in Vermont. The legislative report contains six different family budgets that total the cost of things such as food, housing, transportation, health care, child care and personal expenses. It reflects a combination of data on basic needs... Wage gap grows in Vermont By Bruce Edwards Herald Staff Published: January 19, 2009 in The Rutland Herald The gap between what Vermonters earn and what they pay for basic needs continues to widen, according to the biannual livable wage report released by the Vermont Joint Fiscal Office. The 2009 Basic Needs Budget Report details the cost of basic needs and the "livable" hourly wage it takes for Vermonters to meet those needs. The latest livable wage figures increased a combined 15.71 percent for rural and urban areas in the state from 2007. Colin Robinson, director of the Peace & Justice Center's Vermont Livable Wage Campaign, said the wage gap continues to grow because the cost of basic essentials such as housing, heating, transportation, health care and child care continue to outpace any wage gains... Livable Wage Campaign on Vermont Public Square, 1/29 PSA- VPT on a livable wage My Turn: Low wages are crisis catalyst By Colin Robinson Published January 12, 2009 in the Burlington Free Press For the nearly 6,000 Vermonters who earn $8 per hour or less, and the nearly 7,000 Vermonters who receive a tipped wage, Jan. 1 is more than the beginning of a new calendar year -- it is the day they get a much deserved raise. Jan. 1, the Vermont minimum wage will rose to $8.06 per hour... State’s minimum wage increases today By Dan McLean Published January 1, 2009 in The Burlington Free Press Vermont's minimum wage rises from $7.68 to $8.06 per hour today -- giving full-time minimum wage workers a $791 raise this year. Vermont's minimum wage is one of the highest in the country and will be $1.51 an hour above the federal minimum until July 24, when the U.S. hourly rate increases from $6.55 to $7.25. The state's minimum wage increases at the same rate as the August Consumer Price Index or 5 percent... 2008 Vermont's minimum wage goes up Thursday Wednesday December 31, 2008 MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) The Vermont minimum wage was raised to $8.06 per hour, putting it among the highest in the nation... Vt. minimum wage to increase to $8.06 per hour By Daniel Barlow, Vermont Press Bureau Published: December 31, 2008 in The Times-Argus/Rutland Herald MONTPELIER — Vermont will continue to have one of the country's highest minimum wages as it increases to $8.06 per hour on Jan. 1. For the next two days, Vermont's minimum wage will continue to be $7.68, which is among the highest in the country, although it lags behind at least five states, including California and Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Full details of increases to state minimum wage laws were not available this week, but at least two other states, Connecticut and Illinois, will see increases in 2009... Vermont Minimum Wage on the Rise Michael Henrich Fox 44 News Posted: Dec 31, 2008 08:17 PM Vermont's minimum wage increases Thursday by 38 cents per hour, from $7.68 to $8.06. That figure puts Vermont as having one of the highest minimum wages in the country, despite a federal minimum of $5.85. The federal minimum wage is set to increase in the summer to $7.25 an hour. Despite the increase, some residents, including Burlington's Jesse Desjardins, believe it's not nearly enough. Burlington School Workers Earn New Contracts By John Briggs Published May 7, 2008 in The Burlington Free Press Burlington School District food service and maintenance workers are celebrating new contracts that will phase in a livable wage over four years. The 46 food service workers, most of them women, will get pay increases of 3.2 percent this year, 13.3 percent next year, 20 percent the third year and 11.3 percent in the fourth year of the contract. Starting pay for food service workers will rise to $15.23 per hour... Workers Mark May Day By Chris Garofolo Published May 2, 2008 in The Brattleboro Reformer BRATTLEBORO -- Shortly before the traditional dance around the Maypole, the melodies of old folk songs could be heard across the Town Common during the 25th annual May Day ceremony. Twenty-four volunteers gathered around the pole holding orange and purple ribbons in preparation for the yearly prance. After some initial confusion with the maneuvers involved, the participants figured out the correct steps to complete the dance in a unified manner. The move was symbolic to the message of the labor movement... One out of four Vermonters make below livable wage By Mel Huff Published January 20, 2008 in The Times-Argus BARRE – More Vermonters than ever are struggling to balance their budgets, because their incomes aren't keeping pace with their living expenses. That was the sobering message from livable wage advocates who spoke to a group of 16 men and women who gathered in the basement of Aldrich Public Library on Saturday. Colin Robinson, the coordinator of the Vermont Livable Wage Campaign, marshaled the numbers: 72 percent of single parents with one child and 82 percent of single parents with two children do not make a livable wage in Vermont... 2007 Community members rally for food service workers By Lauren Ober Published December 10,2007 in the Burlington Free Press For years Dona Iverson, a para-educator at Edmunds Elementary School in Burlington, fought to earn a livable wage. In early November, she and the about 135 other pareeducators in the Burlington School District won ... Burlington paraeducators win pay increase By Molly Walsh Published November 1st, 2007 in The Burlington Free Press Burlington paraeducators won a three-year compaign for livable wages in a contract that raises starting pay to $10.20 an hour this year and to $14.15 an hour in the fourth and final year of the agreement. The Scholl Board ratified the contract Tuesday. It starts retroactive to July 1 and guarantees salary increases of 6 percent in the first year, followed by increases of 14 percent, 13 percent and 12 percent in the final year. The district employs about 135 paraeducators. They work in a variety of roles...	VLWC on the Radio VLWC Videos
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