Vermont Workers' Center

May 1st Rally: Now Is the Time to Send a Loud Message to Put People First!
May 1, 2013
For the fifth year in a row over well over a thousand people from all over Vermont will participate in at a huge May 1st Statehouse Rally.  In 2009, we came to change what was politically possible in healthcare reform. In 2013, its become clear that what we really need to make possible is... Keep Reading »
In Support of a 'People's Budget'
April 19, 2013
One of the most important lessons I’ve gained in life is that when you have a problem, you figure out what’s causing it and get down to the root of the matter. Gov. Shumlin’s proposals to cap Reach Up and limit the Earned Income Tax Credit are a clear example of misunderstanding... Keep Reading »
The Health Care Domino Effect: Right to Health Campaigns Are Spreading beyond Vermont
April 17, 2013
The closer we get to implementing key elements of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, the more information we receive about the federal reform’s inability to address the failures of market-based health care.  From the profiteering of insurance corporations, private hospitals and... Keep Reading »
Why We Need to Require Paid Sick Days
April 15, 2013
Ever since the Vermont Workers’ Center started the Workers’ Rights Hotline in 1998, we have heard from countless workers and their families about the hardship and suffering caused by the lack of paid sick days. It has become clear that the right to paid sick days is critical for the... Keep Reading »
Why We Need a Human Rights Based Tax System
April 15, 2013
Today the highest earners in our country are filing taxes at rates lower than those struggling to pay rent and put food on the table for their families.  This dynamic is reaching disturbing depths as the media announces that corporate profits are at record highs while wages for people are at... Keep Reading »
Dignity For All: Put People First Statement for a People’s Budget
February 13, 2013
Vermont's Put People First movement delivered this unity statement to members of the Vermont Senate and House Appropriations Committees at the February 11, 2013, Budget Hearings held at 15 VT Interactive TV sites throughout the state. Many dozen members of Put People First testified at the... Keep Reading »
Vermont Governor's Financing Plan for Universal Health Care Calls for Equity But Lacks Commitments
January 31, 2013
The Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign, led by the Vermont Workers' Center, presented a human rights analysis of the Shumlin Administration's health care financing report to the Vermont House Committee on Health Care on January 30, 2013.  Key points of analysis follow below; the... Keep Reading »
The People's Address - Vermont's Alternative to the Governor's Budget Address
January 25, 2013
The Vermont Workers' Center and its Put People First partners delivered the People's Address on the future of Vermont's budget and healthcare systems. The People's Address was given ahead of the Governor's Budget Address and the Administration's presentation of a financing... Keep Reading »
Labor Groups Across the Country Shift to 'Healthcare Is a Human Right" Campaigns Modeled on Vermont
January 23, 2013
NESRI's note: The Nation reports about the proliferation of human rights-based campaigns for universal health care, inspired by the successful effort in Vermont.  Labor groups, taking part in last week's Labor for Single Payer national conference in Chicago, are at the forefront of... Keep Reading »
Health Needs of Migrant Farm Workers Reported on Vermont Public Radio
January 18, 2013
The board that oversees health care in Vermont is looking at health issues affecting the state's undocumented farm workers. The Legislature asked the Green Mountain Care Board to estimate how much it would cost to include the undocumented migrant workers in a universal coverage plan. The... Keep Reading »