Rights at Work

Martha Allen, president of the Vermont-National Education Association, talks about how to make sure that all Vermont children have the resources and attention they need and deserve. She explains that students are facing more challenges than ever before, and at a time of rising income inequality, we should work to stop the slashing of services working families depend on. We also need to make public education more affordable for more Vermonters by making the way we pay for schools fairer.

Isaac Grimm, Vermont Rights & Democracy's Political Engagement Director, and Raise the Wage coalition coordinator, reviews the legislature's Report of the Minimum Wage and Benefits Cliff Study Committee, and explains why moving to a $15/hour minimum wage by 2020 will contribute to the overall well-being of our families, communities, businesses and state.

Vermont State Senator and Progressive Party Chair, Anthony Pollina, explains that, “low wages and stagnant incomes are hurting many Vermont families and our Vermont economy. No one who works should live in poverty. And, raising wages is one of the most effective ways to overcome poverty, protect Vermonters from Trump’s cuts and create an economy that works better for all of us.”

Barry Eidlin, an assistant professor of sociology at McGill University and author of the soon to be published book, Labor and the Class Idea in the United States and Canada, and Micah Uetricht, an associate editor at Jacobin, a contributing editor at In These Times, and the author of Strike for America: Chicago Teachers against Austerity co-editor, and the forthcoming

Anu Partanen, author of The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life, discusses what the Nordic countries can tell us about creating a better country. Anu is joined by Isaac Grimm, lead organizer of Rights and Democracy Vermont's Raise Up Vermont campaign.