Saturday, June 30, 2018
University of Vermont Medical Center nurses plan to serve the hospital on Monday morning with a 10-day notice of a two-day labor strike.
Keith Brunner, a spokesperson for the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, on Saturday announced a press conference at 11:30 a.m. Monday to reveal a “critical development” in contract negotiations. Prior to the press release, a UVM Medical Center nurse informed Seven Days that a strike notice will be served Monday. Brunner confirmed that Monday’s press conference is to announce that notice.
Tags: University of Vermont Medical Center , strike , nurses , Image , Web Only
Some also carried signs protesting the arrest this week of Vermont farmworker Alejandro Hernández-Ventura, a Mexican man who was pulled over by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sunday and was arrested.
Marchers shouted "Children need their parents and their families!" and "Hey hey! Ho ho! ICE has got to go!" as they walked from the top of Church Street through downtown and then on to Battery Park.
MoveOn, a progressive public policy advocacy group, declared June 30 a day of action in protest of the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy at the southern border, prompting demonstrations across the country. Three Burlington residents, C.D. Mattison, Kesha Ram and Jamie Gay, organized the local rally with help from sponsors including Migrant Justice and Black Lives Matter Vermont. News of the march spread by word of mouth.
Christine Hauslein, a retired teacher from Milton who attended Burlington's event, said that as an advocate for children, she could not ignore family separations. She said it is "sheer horror" to think that parents do not know where their children are.
"We would have a stroke if someone missed the bus," she said. "Parents would be so upset we'd get phone calls. And now we have people who don't even know what state their children are in."
Friday, June 29, 2018
On June 13, the union announced that 1,227 of its 1,800 members voted to give the union's bargaining team the authority to issue a notice to the hospital of a potential two-day strike if a new contract isn't agreed to before the current one expires July 9. The nurses are required by law to give the hospital 10 days' notice before walking off the job.
If the nurses were to strike, it could mean a labor shortage at the only level one trauma center in the region. Nurses have asserted that they are the backbone of the hospital, while UVM Medical Center officials have repeatedly said it's prepared to continue providing quality care to patients in the event of a strike. The hospital has made arrangements with an outside firm that would provide temporary workers.
When the strike votes were first tallied, union leaders suggested they would serve a strike notice Friday if their demands had not been met. But for now, they plan to continue negotiating in good faith.
Tags: University of Vermont Medical Center , nurses , strike , union , labor , hospital , Image , Web Only
“We are all kind of reeling here,” said retiree Chris Pratt. He had intended to live in the park until he dies, he wrote in an email to Seven Days.
Under Vermont law, mobile home residents have the right of first refusal if an owner decides to sell, and they are given 45 days to consider the purchase. Lakeview’s residents have a few extra days since the state has not yet received notice via certified mail, according to Arthur Hamlin, the state’s housing program coordinator for mobile home parks. If the occupants choose to make the purchase, they have an additional 120 days to appraise the land and negotiate with the owner.
Tags: housing , mobile homes , Trey Pecor , Lakeview Mobile Home Park , Image , Web Only
Gov. Phil Scott helped reopen the causeway at a press conference on Friday where he praised the "can-do attitude" of the workers who helped get the trail back up and running.
The bike ferry, which is operated by cycling organization Local Motion, will also start running, transporting bikers across the 200-foot cut to South Hero.
Tags: Local Motion , Phil Scott , governor , bike ferry , Colchester causeway , Island Line Trail , Image , Web Only
Alejandro Hernández-Ventura, 25, was being held at the Strafford County, N.H., detention center in lieu of an $8,000 bond, the group said.
Shortly after leaving home on a dairy farm in Addison County on Sunday, according to an account from Migrant Justice, Hernández-Ventura and his wife noticed that their car was being followed. They pulled over after ICE officers flashed their vehicle lights. The agents pulled the Mexican man out of his car and handcuffed him before driving off.
According to Migrant Justice, Hernández-Ventura has never been arrested or had any previous contact with ICE during the nine years he's been in Vermont.
Tags: Alejandro Hernández-Ventura , Immigration and Customs Enforcement , Migrant Justice , Enrique Balcazar , Will Lambek , Image , Web Only
Thursday, June 28, 2018
United States Border Patrol agents have for years established temporary checkpoints along Interstate 91 in southern Vermont to ask motorists about their citizenship and where they’re going. Some are detained for additional questioning. Because the checkpoint is within 100 miles of the Canadian border, federal law allows agents to do that without a warrant.
Federal law gives authorities expanded power near the borders in order to protect national security. But Leahy said in a statement that a range of 100 miles from the border is unreasonable. The new legislation, cosponsored by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington), would shrink the that zone from 100 to 25 miles.
"[T]his 100-mile zone is neither limited nor reasonable," Leahy said. "It includes marine borders. At present, it encompasses almost two-thirds of the population of the United States. This includes major cities such as New York, Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans and Los Angeles, even the 'border town' of Richmond, Va., as well as entire states such as Maine, Delaware, and Florida."
Tags: Border Patrol , fourth amendment , customs , Patrick Leahy , Patty Murray , Danielle Rochford , Image , Web Only
The business, owned by Roland and Lisa Gaujac, will continue to operate under the terms of a June 7 settlement that the couple reached with neighbors Adrian and Alison Wolverton.
“We're so grateful that it's over," Lisa Gaujac told Seven Days Tuesday. "We just want to get back to focusing on our business."
The lawyer for the Wolvertons, James Dumont, did not return a message seeking comment from him and his clients.
Tags: Old Lantern , Judge Thomas S. Durkin , Roland Gaujac , Lisa Gaujac , Image , Web Only
So digital editor Andrea Suozzo turned those thousands of filings into a database: the Vermont Nonprofit Navigator. Our reporters and editors have been mining it in search of stories, looking for patterns and aberrations.
Now you can, too, at nonprofits.sevendaysvt.com.
The database is a valuable resource. You can search by name, location, assets and annual revenue. Look up categories of nonprofits, such as those dedicated to the environment, arts and animals. Check out board members. A click of the mouse reveals top salaries.
Tags: Give and Take , nonprofits , database , Seven Days , Vermont , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
The high court determined in a 5-4 vote that nonmembers of public-sector unions do not have to pay dues for collective bargaining.
When unions negotiate with employers, the contracts they fight for benefit all employees, regardless of union status. Nonunion members have been required to pay "fair-share" fees in 22 states, including Vermont, to cover the costs associated with collective bargaining.
The court majority ruled that requiring such fees violates First Amendment rights, since unions engage in political activism. That means workers can opt out of union fees but still receive the benefits of bargaining.
Union supporters, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have decried the ruling as an attack on working people’s power.
Vermont labor leaders said they were not surprised by the decision and remain optimistic that workers will choose to support their unions.
Tags: Vermont unions , Darren Allen , James Haslam , Rights & Democracy , Bernie Sanders , senator , union , labor , SCOTUS , Steve Howard , Vermont State Employees' Association , Image , Web Only