(The following was a story ran in the BurlingtonFreePress.)
MONTPELIER — A group of Vermont lawmakers is calling for a new “bill of economic rights,” including a significantly higher minimum wage, guaranteed paid sick days and a requirement that employers have just cause before firing anyone.
Rep. Chris Pearson, a Burlington Progressive, said the measures were aimed at narrowing a widening gap between rich and poor in Vermont. Pearson pointed to a chart showing changes in income for various brackets from 2011 to 2012. It showed those making more than $1 million saw their incomes grow by 18.6 percent on average, while those making between $15,000 and $20,000 saw them drop by an average of 2.6 percent.
“I would not have the courage to create this if I were creating propaganda, so I’m very grateful to the Vermont Department of Taxes for providing this data,” Pearson said.
Pearson was joined by Democrats, an independent and one Republican at the news conference calling for the changes.