Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Based on median earnings for full-time, year-round workers, women are paid 82 cents for every dollar paid to men. Vermont Commission on Women (VCW) presented the second in a series of (un)Equal Pay Day video podcast conversations, which was first broadcast on March 24th. March 24 was the day into the year women needed to work before their earnings caught up to those of men in 2020 due to the wage gap.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Arts Council (VAC) in partnership with the Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) has received a $23,000 award from the National Assembly of State Art Agencies (NASAA) and Aroha Philanthropies to advance creative programming for older adults. In 2020, CVCOA created the “Creative Care Kit” program, which provided over 160 free Creative Care Kits to people age 60+. The kits included several activities along with supplies, instructions, and resources needed for practicing and producing artwork. In addition, each participant in the Creative Care Kit Project could access a trained “Creative Companion” volunteer.

Vermont Business Magazine AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “a-” of Agrinational Insurance Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, ADM Insurance Company (collectively referred to as ADM Insurance Group). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. Both companies are headquartered in Burlington, VT.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting a surge in new cases. There does not seem to be a single reason, but the new variants of the novel coronavirus are likely playing some role. Cases were elevated yesterday also, but today's 251 new cases is an all-time high for Vermont. There was also one more death for a statewide total of 224. Health Commissioner Mark Levine said at Friday’s press conference that we are meeting our primary public health goal of reducing the number of deaths and severe illness, and protecting those among us who are most vulnerable. He said, however, that the high number of new cases reported today is concerning, and yet another reminder that we still must do everything we can to keep this virus from spreading.Finally, beginning at 8:15 am on Monday, March 29, Vermonters age 50 and older will be able to make an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 190,000 Vermonters have now received at least one dose of vaccine.

Vermont State Police As of 5 pm Friday, search efforts for missing Canadian kite-surfer Pierre Dunningan have been suspended for the day due to weather. Crews plan to resume the search, weather-permitting, over the weekend.

Vermont Business Magazine This week, US Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Todd Young (R-IN), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation to provide a temporary stopgap to quickly address our nation’s shortage of doctors and nurses. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act would recapture 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas for doctors that Congress has previously authorized and allocate those visas to doctors and nurses to help in the fight against COVID-19.

Vermont Business Magazine In a continued effort to combat rising economic inequality, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Thursday introduced two pieces of legislation to end our rigged tax code and ensure the wealthiest people and largest corporations pay their fair share – the For the 99.5% Act and the Corporate Tax Dodging Prevention Act.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is alerting customers to changing weather conditions this evening and through the weekend, with forecasters calling for a combination of heavy rain and gusty winds that could lead to flooding and continued scattered outages. GMP has been tracking the forecast in advance and crews were ready, already restoring power to more than 500 customers this afternoon after the first line of thunderstorms caused damage.

Vermont Business Magazine This is the 2nd pandemic for the iconic 103-year old Wayside Restaurant in Montpelier, VT. There were no government programs to help them get back on their feet in 1918. Thanks to newly announced coronavirus legislation, there is great opportunity on the horizon. A business owner can now enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner at a local restaurant with a valued client or prospective customer and take a 100 percent tax deduction. This is great news for restaurants struggling across America.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor is reporting that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for February was 3.1 percent. This reflects a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate of 3.2 percent. The comparable United States rate in February was 6.2 percent, which was a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised January estimate. The decline is largely due to a sharp decrease in the Labor Force from January. The number of unemployed also fell. Both the Labor Force and total Employed represent about 30,000 fewer workers than a year ago, which was pre-pandemic.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Regular weekly unemployment claims last week fell by 64 to 782, which is just above the 2021 low reached in February. Nationally, claims have fallen under 700,000 to the lowest number since the beginning of the pandemic, but remain at historically high levels.

Weekly UI Report

Regular weekly UI claims in Vermont last week edged down for the third consecutive week (up 3,002 from the same time last year, as the pandemic hit. Governor Scott signed the Executive Order March 13, 2020 and closed restaurants and bars after lunch on March 17).

As for ongoing jobless claims, for the week ending March 20, 2021, the Labor Department processed 13,185 claims, up 95 from the previous week and 7,520 more than the same time last year.

by Robert Smith and Louis Josephson The ongoing challenges and sacrifices brought about by the coronavirus pandemic have tested each of us in ways that might not have been imaginable just a year ago. Yet during this unprecedented time, we have learned that adversity can inspire new approaches to solving our common problems. We are encouraged to say that such is the case with the relationship between union and management at the Brattleboro Retreat.