Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Gov. Phil Scott lauded local colleges, universities and medical centers for requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees and said the state will take a similar approach with some of its workers.
Scott said he believes that all hospitals, long-term care facilities and other places that serve high-risk populations should require vaccinations for workers. During his weekly press conference, he said vaccinations will be required for staff of the Vermont Veterans’ Home, Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital and the six state prisons. A potential testing alternative may be offered.
“We have an obligation to protect the most vulnerable under our care,” Scott said, adding the rise of the highly transmissible Delta variant was a key factor in his decision. "We just think it's a good idea considering what we're seeing across the country."
Tags: coronavirus , pandemic , vaccinations , unemployment , Andrew Cuomo , Web Only , Image
A resolution to increase the roster cap to 82 officers, up from the 74-officer limit enacted during historic protests and calls to "defund" the police, failed on a tie vote, with Councilor Zoraya Hightower (P-Ward 1) absent.
The vote came as interim Police Chief Jon Murad, Democratic Mayor Miro Weinberger and others contended that the Burlington Police Department is experiencing a free fall in its ranks as demoralized officers flee. Supporters have also pointed to heavily publicized gunfire incidents in recent months as signs that a hamstrung department is less able to keep Queen City residents safe. And a survey conducted by the police officers' union found that roughly half of Burlington cops were actively seeking employment elsewhere.
Tags: Burlington Police Department , Burlington City Council , Police Staffing , Criminal Justice Reform , Ali Dieng , Miro Weinberger , Jon Murad , Burlington Police Officers' Association , Web Only , Image
Friday, July 9, 2021
The business and its 90 employees will stay in Londonderry, said Domenic Mangano, who founded the Cottage Shop in 1995. The purchaser is Bill Silverstein, owner of WHS Homes, which produces homes under an array of brands.
Mangano declined to say how much he sold the company for. But he said the employees probably won’t see much difference in the work they are doing. They were told of the impending sale two weeks ago, said one employee who asked that his name not be used in the story.
Tags: Jamaica Cottage Shop , Domenic Mangano , WHS Homes , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Five jobs are available in the state for every person who is seeking work, said Scott, and Vermont needs to do everything it can to encourage people to take one. He thinks the extra unemployment insurance money might be serving as a deterrent.
“I think it’s gone on long enough," he said of the federal funding. "We would let it lapse.”
Tags: Phil Scott , unemployment insurance , Web Only , Image
Monday, June 7, 2021
That's bad news for those who hoped that Koffee Kup's bakeries in Burlington and Brattleboro, which closed abruptly in April, would reopen soon.
"This acquisition brings brands and production capacity in the Northeast, a key growth market for our company," said Ryals McMullian, president and CEO of Flowers Foods. "We have no immediate plans to reopen the bakeries but will be assessing how they may fit our strategic network optimization efforts in the future."
The last-minute change, noted during a remote hearing in Chittenden Superior Court, surprised the previously announced buyer, Blair Hyslop of Mrs. Dunster’s, a Canadian company. Mrs. Dunster's had already started creating new employment contracts with former Koffee Kup workers.
Hyslop said he was planning a Zoom town meeting with employees from both Vermont locations for Monday night. “For now, I will just say that this has come out of left field, and we are shocked and dismayed at the news,” he said.
The struggling 80-year-old Koffee Kup closed its plants in Vermont and Connecticut in April, displacing 500 workers. They included 156 in Burlington and 91 in Brattleboro. Its owners had negotiated unsuccessfully with KeyBank to resolve the company's debt.
Tags: Koffee Kup , layoffs , Mrs. Dunster's , Flowers Foods , Web Only , Image
Thursday, May 20, 2021
The House on Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of a bill that includes $630,000 for the program. The bill has been sent to the governor for his signature.
The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs had proposed this year to make the popular program permanent, and to spend $1 million annually to reimburse workers who were new to the state up to $5,000 for moving expenses. That amount could rise to $7,500 for someone who moved to an area with a higher-than-average unemployment rate or lower-than-average annual wages.
Tags: remote worker program , Vermont legislature , study , Web Only , Image
Monday, May 10, 2021
The tax breaks, reduced fees, grants and technical assistance that the dwindling number of dairy farms received between 2010 and 2019 illustrate just how dependent the industry has become on state assistance for its survival.
Unlike other reports from State Auditor Doug Hoffer’s office that attempt to ferret out fraud or waste in state spending, the “investigative report” neither finds fault with the funding nor recommends any changes.
“This report is intended to serve as a resource for State policymakers, program managers, and the public as they consider the future of dairy in Vermont and what role public funds should play," the report states.
Tags: dairy , Vermont , pollution , farming , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
The department disabled its online application last week after a surge of fraud that started in mid-April. Individuals or groups in the U.S. and internationally have been using people's names, addresses and other personal information to file fraudulent claims, collecting the money through direct deposits.
On Monday, Labor Commissioner Mike Harrington said 2,300 new claims came in April 27, and 1,700 on the following day. After the department disabled its online application, the numbers plummeted to just 159 on Thursday, 154 on Friday, and 30 on Saturday, said Harrington.
Friday, April 30, 2021
Earlier this week, state Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington told Seven Days that as many as 70 percent of the claims filed this month were fraudulent. The U.S. Department of Justice has cited a national wave of unprecedented unemployment insurance fraud and has set up a task force to combat it.
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean told Seven Days on Sunday that he had gotten no fewer than 10 booklets for claimants, which the department mails automatically to people who filed for benefits. Dean said he had filed no claim. And even after he reported what was happening, he said, the mailings kept coming. "This is crazy," he said.
The state will continue to accept new claims, but they must come in by phone through the UI Claimant Assistance Center at 877-214-3330. It's open Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Tags: fraud , unemployment insurance , Michael Harrington , department of labor , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Ninety-one employees in Brattleboro were affected by the closure of Vermont Bread, which is owned by Koffee Kup’s parent, KUPCO. Another 156 lost jobs in Burlington.
Employers saw an opportunity. TwinCraft, a soap company in Winooski, put signs on the door of the Koffee Kup bakery in Burlington saying that TwinCraft was hiring. Hannaford, the supermarket chain, reached out to former Koffee Kup workers on Facebook, emphasizing that it has jobs in Burlington.
There appears to be no shortage of positions for the workers who were abruptly terminated Monday. The state Department of Labor has already heard from still other employers eager to contact them.
Tags: Koffee Kup , unemployment , michael harrington , Web Only , Image