Current News

First Student drivers, mechanics and dispatchers in Berlin, Vermont, have voted overwhelmingly, 41-6, in favor of representation by Teamsters Local 597 in South Barre. The workers came together seeking respect, fairness and improved safety. There are 63 workers in the bargaining unit.
"I'm really happy we're Teamsters. I'm going to be respected as a driver now," said Marina Gorton, a First Student worker. "I walked right into the Teamsters office several months ago because we needed job security, better communication and no more favoritism. Even overnight, since our vote, the atmosphere has gotten better in the office."
This is another example of how Joint Councils and local unions, working together, provide an organizing opportunity for workers that definitely need help in the workplace," said Ronald Rabideau, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 597.

One of Vermont s fastest-growing companies remains on track for continued expansion despite a recent round of layoffs, its CEO says. Choice Care Card, based in Waterbury, was a recipient of a 2009 Vermont Business Magazine award in recognition of the 711 percent growth in sales that it achieved during the previous five years. The company holds the sixth position on the magazine s list of the top 10 growth firms in the state as of 2008. CEO James Hunter acknowledged in a March 4 interview, however, that the company recently laid off fewer than 20 employees.

"We re-engineered our process to become more efficient, Hunter said. That resulted in the ability to reduce the workforce.

Brendan Kinney has been named Vice President for Development and Marketing for Vermont Public Radio. Kinney will oversee all of VPR s fundraising efforts, including major and planned giving, membership, underwriting, foundation grants, and capital campaigns. He ll also be responsible for crafting a strategy to reach new listeners. Kinney joined VPR last month.

"We are delighted to welcome Brendan to VPR, said VPR President Robin
Turnau. His 15 years of work in development and public relations, along
with his leadership experience and enthusiasm for public radio, will
help VPR achieve its goals of growing our local news effort and web
presence, as well as expanding the VPR Classical network."

Kinney comes to VPR from SUNY Plattsburgh, where he served as Associate
Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of
Marketing and Public Relations. Previously, he was Director of Saint

Secretary of Administration Neale F. Lunderville and Vermont Troopers Association
(VTA) President Michael O Neil today announced that the Administration and VTA have reached
agreement on a new one year labor contract, subject to ratification by the VTA membership.
The agreement will produce over $970,000 in total savings in FY11, $162,540 attributable to General
Fund savings and $719,679 in Transportation Fund savings. In entering into the agreement, the State will
achieve the same level of savings in FY11 as it would have achieved if the VTA took a 3% pay cut and
step freeze, as other bargaining units agreed to do recently.
The cost saving achieved from the agreement is good news for the taxpayers of Vermont. I appreciate
that the troopers are doing their part to address budget concerns during these challenging times, said

The US Senate Wednesday night confirmed former Vermont Assistant Attorney General Julie Brill for a vacancy on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Brill served for more than 20 years as Vermont s Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Protection and Antitrust, from 1988 to 2009. Since February 2009 she had been the Senior Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Consumer Protection and Antitrust for the North Carolina Department of Justice.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced Brill at her Commerce Committee confirmation hearing. Leahy chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over many of the antitrust, consumer protection and consumer privacy laws enforced by the FTC and by the U.S. Department of Justice. Leahy called Brill Wednesday night with the news of the Senate s action and congratulated her.

Burlington Police Chief Michael E Schirling testified Tuesday afternoon before a congressional panel chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Leahy invited Schirling to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Encouraging Innovative and Cost-Effective Crime Reduction Strategies.
Leahy has made state and local law enforcement issues a priority for the Judiciary Committee this Congress. He dedicated the first hearing of the 111th Congress to examining the needs of state and local law enforcement. Last year, Leahy worked to secure $4 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for state and local law enforcement, including the successful Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. Twenty-five police departments in Vermont were recipients of COPS funding included in the ARRA. In 2008, Leahy twice brought the Judiciary Committee to Vermont to hear testimony about community efforts to address crime.

Voters in Lowell yesterday voted 342 to 114 at Town Meeting to support the development of the Kingdom Community Wind project proposed by Green Mountain Power and Vermont Electric Cooperative.
"We are thrilled that the people in Lowell have overwhelmingly embraced the idea of harnessing the wind on Lowell Mountain to bring stably-priced, renewable power to customers of Green Mountain Power and Vermont Electric Cooperative," said Mary Powell, president and chief executive officer of Green Mountain Power. "This project is different than many that have been proposed, in that GMP and VEC customers will benefit from utility-owned generation and in the way we included the community in a broad discussion of the benefits of the project."
Town officials reported that 456 of 581 registered voters cast ballots in the voter-approved Australian vote, including more than 200 absentee ballots.

Vermont Yankee engineers and technicians continue their investigation into the source of tritium in the plant s groundwater. As reported by Vermont Yankee over the weekend, testing identified a leakage path that could allow water, which was previously found pooled in the Advanced Off Gas (AOG) pipe tunnel, to reach the soil. Although this pathway may eventually prove to be the source of tritium, Yankee said in a statement, engineers have not ruled out any possibilities and are considering all potential leakage pathways until planned testing is complete. Although successful draining of the AOG pipe tunnel eliminated any continued leakage via this path, an engineered catch basin has been installed to capture any further potential leakage encountered at the unearthed AOG tunnel.

Part of the Public Service Department's decision to hand the Burlington Telecom situation over to the attorney general for criminal investigation was based on a letter that was sent by a former city attorney to CitiCapital along with Burlington Telecom's application for a $33.5 million loan in August 2007, according to a story in the Burlington Free Press.
In the letter, lawyer Joseph McNeil explained that the City Charter prohibited BT losses being borne by taxpayers, but stated that there was no problem using general city funds for BT activities. He did not mention BT's Certificate of Public Good, which requires any city money used by the company must be repaid within two months. McNeil also interpreted the fact that the city's general funds are not entirely made up of taxpayer money to mean that they were fair game for BT loan payments, an argument that was not accepted by the Public Service Board. McNeil maintains that the letter correctly represented the situation.

The United States Senate passed the Travel Promotion Act (TPA) late last week by a vote of 78-18. The House already passed the bill which is now on its way to President Obama who is expected to sign the bill into law sometime this week.
This is a major accomplishment for the hospitality industry, said Vicky Tebbetts, Vice President of the Vermont Chamber s Hospitality Council. This legislation is important for the continued growth and success of the travel and tourism economy in Vermont and across the United States.
The TPA will aggressively promote international travel to the United States by creating a public-private partnership campaign to market the country as a premier travel destination with the goal of increasing the number of international visitors.

Burlington Police Chief Michael E. Schirling will testify Wednesday before the US Senate Judiciary Committee at the invitation of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Leahy, who chairs the panel, scheduled the hearing to explore Encouraging Innovative and Cost-Effective Crime Reduction Strategies.

Leahy has made state and local law enforcement issues a priority for the Judiciary Committee this Congress. He dedicated the first hearing of the 111th Congress to examining the needs of state and local law enforcement. In 2008, Leahy twice brought the Judiciary Committee to Vermont to hear testimony about community efforts to address crime.

The Senate Economic Development committee has proposed a tax on Vermont workers that would go towards replenishing the state's unemployment insurance fund, which ran out in February and is currently being funded with loans from the federal government, according to a story in the Burlington Free Press. The committee passed the bill with a 3-2 vote.
The 0.02 percent payroll tax would raise around $24 million a year. Additionally, the proposal would increase taxes on employers. The maximum unemployment benefit would be kept at $425 a week, but changes would be made regarding who can collect unemployment. Changes would include making those fired for misconduct ineligible to file, and requiring workers who are laid off to wait a week before filing. The tax on workers would mean that the tax on employers would not be raised as much as the Douglas administration had proposed.