Vermont labor
officials say hundreds of people could lose their unemployment
benefits if Congress fails to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. The federal
unemployment insurance program that has been providing additional weeks of
benefits to the long-term unemployed is set to expire.
The
U.S. Labor Secretary was in Vermont Tuesday to highlight an education and training
program designed to prepare people for the farm jobs of the future. As
she toured the farm at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center Labor Secretary Hilda Solis heard
about breeding heifers and managing herds.
Vermont’s unemployment rate has climbed again. The state Department of Labor says
the rate for July was 5.7 percent. That’s up two-tenths of a
percentage point from July.
The
Vermont Department of Labor is investigating whether a New Hampshire construction company has improperly avoided payroll
taxes by classifying its workers as independent contractors. The
issue has come to a head at the Stowe Mountain Resort, where workers have
staged periodic protests.