Halloween-themed signs and chants accompanied yesterday’s rally in support of unionizing graduate student workers at the University of Vermont. Despite the rain, more than one hundred grad students and allies attended the event.
Tag: labor

Amid chants of “Milk with dignity!” roughly one hundred farmworkers and supporters assembled on Thursday for an informational picket and rally near the Hannaford supermarket

It’s common to think of these professions as solely within major media markets and hubs like Los Angeles and New York, but SAG-AFTRA members can also be found across New England. We spoke via email with two Vermont-based members, Marci Diamond and J.T. Turner, about their work, the strike, and how Vermonters can get involved.

Last Thursday, in the halls of the Waterman Building on the campus of the University of Vermont, dozens of staffers across various departments — from biology to residential life — lined the hallways outside the executive offices of the school, laptops open, diligently at work. This “work-in” was held to object to UVM’s proposed implementation of new time-tracking software on roughly 700 staff.

In Part 2 of this series, we look at how Vermont’s incarcerated workers are exploited by the State, the Vermont Department of Corrections, and the many nonprofits and municipalities that employ them.

This November, the Vermont Abolish Slavery and Indentured Servitude Amendment to the Vermont State Constitution will be presented to Vermont voters for approval. The bill intends to update Vermont’s Constitution regarding slavery, clarifying that “slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited.”

During the month of October, Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity campaign made stops in seven states for an impressive 29 presentations in as many days.

On Saturday at Leddy Beach in Burlington, Migrant Justice kicked off a speaking tour that will hold events throughout New England, giving updates on Milk with Dignity’s accomplishments and urging Hannaford to add its more than 180 supermarkets to the program.