If you’ve got some time and energy here in the summer months, we’ve got project and maintenance ideas that we’d love to have help with!   Here’s a partial list of ways to spruce up our Grange, now and in the future:

       Other significant upgrades are in the works, thanks to a donor who wants to remain anonymous.   We have a new set of pre-hung, insulated doors for the Old Entrance, plus keypad, programmable locks for both Old and New entrances on order, and Kurt Giavara and I will be installing them when they come in–soon we hope!  We are also on the verge of ordering a modern, 3-speed exhaust fan for the Hall, which will replace the old, inefficient fans now in place–see the photo below.  The new fan (general type shown in the drawing below) will be more powerful, quieter and more efficient, and will have self-opening & self-closing insulated doors.
There’s more to be done, especially to improve fresh-air ventilation downstairs, watch for updates–and if you have HVAC experience and want to help out, get in touch with me:  swartztim15@gmail.com.

With so much other news, I almost forgot to include these photos of the VT Scholastic Chess Championships, held on May 29th and 30th!  Held before the COVID-19 restrictions were removed by the governor, organizers Mike Stridsberg & Corinne Cooper kept things safe and spread out, following close coordination with Grange Rental Agent Merry Shernock and me.
In the photos:

      We had hoped to have a group sing-along as the “program” for our June Grange meeting, but we’ve been unable to find a song-leader.  Our usual Grange Musician already had plans to be out of town, and no other leads have panned out.  Those who have listened to me sing will agree that whatever my faults as a Grange meeting leader, the role of song-leader is not in my range!
So we will have a “plain” Grange meeting from 5 to 6, with time for planning for our Champlain Valley Fair display in the State Grange exhibit area, and we will follow it up with the first post-pandemic Potluck Dinner!   All are welcome, even if you haven’t joined us for the Grange meeting.   We’ll put out plenty of serving utensils so they don’t have to be handled too many times, and we’ll eat on the ADA entrance porch unless the weather is bad.  Bring your favorite dish to share, and we’ll enjoy each others’ company!   I know I’m even more aware of the value of socializing–and I love eating other people’s cooking!
Put it on your calendars!

     As described in the last Grange Notes I sent out, we are going to consider a proposed Resolution, which has the potential to be adopted as policy by the VT State Grange.  Long-time Grange Notes readers, and (I hope) all Grange members know that every year, the State Grange solicits resolutions from the Community Granges, like ours.   They can be on almost any topic, from agriculture to legislation to environmental topics.
This year, at our May meeting, we were reminded that time is getting short to submit a Resolution, as they need to be voted on by the Pomona Grange (the next level in the hierarchy) at their meeting on the morning of June 5th, to then progress to the State Session in October.
At that May meeting, Grange Lecturer Carl Etnier proposed that we could support the rights of working Vermonters to join unions, by supporting a bill in the VT Legislature that would make it more simple.   Under this so-called “Card Check” system, getting the signatures of a majority of the workers in a public sector “bargaining unit” would be sufficient to designate a union to represent them.  Currently, in addition to this step, an election must also be held to confirm this choice, giving the management time to use pressure tactics to discourage “yes” votes.
Here’s the text of the resolution that Carl and I have drafted:

Support for “Card Check” votingWhereas: the Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry was founded to protect the rights of farmers, the working class of the agriculture industry, and to enable farmers to work together to protect their rights, and

Whereas: the Grange’s mission should include support for the current members of the working class, and

Whereas: workers, including public sector employees, often face stiff resistance from employers when attempting to join together to collectively negotiate better wages and working conditions, and

Whereas: Vermont bills H.308 and S.131, which are before the Vermont Legislature during the 2021-2022 biennium, are designed to allow public sector employees to join a labor union without holding an election if a majority of the members of the bargaining unit sign a petition to be represented by the union in collective bargaining, therefore

Be it Resolved: that the Vermont State Grange urges the Vermont House and Senate to pass H.308 and S.131, and the Governor to sign the final bill.
So–we need at least 7 Grange members to have a quorum to discuss and pass (or not pass) this proposed Resolution.   I’d like to hear from as many people as possible, whether you support or oppose this Resolution–or propose editing the text.   Please join me via Zoom at 4:30 PM on Saturday, May 22nd:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79356565031?pwd=U0FCaFE5LzJJUHpValVqc2k5Y0gyUT09

Meeting ID: 793 5656 5031
Passcode: K3dagb  (should not be necessary)

      I gave a presentation on proposed/upcoming building improvements, in air-quality, energy efficiency and security areas:
Blower Door test:  Bill Hulstrunk, a long-time Grange Hall volunteer who works in the cellulose insulation industry brought his blower door (see the photo to the left).   He confirmed that our building is much tighter than when he last tested the Hall in 2006, before he led a crew of volunteers in blowing 12 inches of cellulose into the attic, plus filling the walls and floors which surround it.   Our 2020 basement insulation and air-sealing are making a difference!
He also found that our exhaust fans over the stage are not moving very much air–they are 1953 vintage (see other photo to left).  This led to considering…
A new exhaust fan:   I have spoken with and gotten a quote from “Naturally Cool Vermont”, which sells QuietCool “whole-house” fans, for an efficient, even quieter 3-speed fan, with insulated, self-opening ceiling doors.   I have also started speaking with Efficiency Vermont to get their advice–and to investigate any possible rebates.
Fresh air integration into our heating system:  I had the opportunity to speak with the volunteer HVAC specialist at the Tapestry Center in Minneapolis, a large building for folk-dancing/folk-arts there.   This engineer was very helpful in discussing our situation; he recommended adding a duct to allow outdoor air to be pulled into the cold-air return on the furnace, as a way to dilute and replace inside “used” air and reduce potential virus aerosol loads.   Bill  Hulstrunk is working with me on this.   The inlet duct would have an adjustable damper to reduce the percentage of cold air in wintertime, and allow more in the summer.
       Improved filtration:   The Tapestry Center HVAC guy also recommended that we install MERV-13 air filters in our furnace’s cold-air return, and I have done that.  These are the recommended filtration level for removing particles of the size of COVID aerosols, as inside air is pulled into the building and recirculated.   I have also installed a manometer to keep track of the pressure drop across these filters, to keep track of when they need to be changed to maintain air-flow.   With these installed, we can consider running the furnace blower to help clean the air, even when heat is not needed.
New doors for the Old Entrance:   in 2006, the new entrance on the Northeast corner was installed, and we saw how much more attractive and energy-efficient the new double-doors there are, compared to the ones at the old entrance on the South side.  A generous anonymous donor has said that they would be willing to donate the cost of new doors for the original entrance, which Kurt Giavara and I would be willing to install.   Kurt and I have been investigating options for doors and hardware; we are have been getting pricing for fiberglass doors like the ones on the new entrance, which will have glass windows, high-quality panic bars and automatic closers–and new locks.  I have confirmed that the doors we are getting quoted are fine with the Fire Marshal, by the way.
New locks for both sets of doors:   This seems like the right opportunity to upgrade our locks, so we are looking at programmable, key-pad locks for both doors.   This will significantly simplify the nuisance and work which Rental Agent Merry does to get keys to tenants and retrieve them after a one-time event.    The locks we are looking at can have up to 500 different programmed codes to open the doors.  These can be changed after a renter’s event is over without needing to retrieve a key.

Help wanted: More Grange projects, and a June meeting sing-along!

       During the snowy winter months, someone left these items in our parking lot.   I moved them onto the ADA entrance porch–and it’s past time to get rid of them.   We will be happy to give these to anyone who can use them, in return for a donation to the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall.  Just CLICK HERE to make a donation, and let me know, and pick them up!   All are in good shape, ready to mount your summer or winter tires and drive off into the sunset…

       Our Grange Lecturer, Carl Etnier put together another agriculture-focused Grange Program for our April 3rd get-together.  He showed 2 videos from Migrant Justice, about their “Milk with Dignity” campaign, through which we learned about the impact that can come from workers uniting with public support, to provide more humane standards for farmworkers.  Then, in a live interview and question period with Arturo, who works on a Central VT dairy farm, we learned one of the personal stories that take place behind the collective story of “immigrant farmworkers in Vermont”.
The first and longer video “Milk with Dignity” told the story of the Migrant Justice organization of VT immigrant farmworkers, and the development of their campaign for major milk-buying corporations to require fair treatment of the workers who produce the milk they buy.  The model was a worker-led social-impact certification campaign called the “Fair Food Program”, developed in Florida by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW).  It’s designed to “Harness the power of consumer demand to give farmworkers a voice in the decisions that affect their lives, and to eliminate the longstanding abuses that have plagued agriculture for generations.”   The CIW educated consumers about the labor conditions behind the food they eat, and asked them to put pressure on the agribusinesses selling that food to commit to a “Fair Food Certified” code of conduct.  The “Fair Food Standards Council” was set up as a third-party monitoring organization to watch over the actual effects on the farmworkers.
Migrant Justice built a similar campaign for VT farmworkers, with a worker-led group developing the “Milk with Dignity Code of Conduct” for how farmworkers must be treated, tied to a premium on the price of milk to be paid by corporations who join the campaign, to farmers who also join, and commit to following the Code of Conduct.  The money from the premium gets shared between the farmers and the workers to increase the income of both.  There are many more requirements for safe housing and working conditions, plus fair and transparent wage policies.  You can learn more about the details on the Milk with Dignity Code of Conduct website.
The video told about the extremely long hours commonly demanded of workers on some farms, with poor living conditions, high rates of worker injuries, withheld wages and other abuses, before the Milk with Dignity campaign began in 2015.  The film had images of the housing problems, and interviews with farmworkers telling their stories.
The next video, “Impact of Milk with Dignity” took up the story, telling about the first major victory of the campaign, getting Ben & Jerry’s to sign the “MD” contract.   Now, about 65 farms in VT and NY are covered, and over 250 farmworkers are protected by the Code of Conduct.  Annual audits of all farms by the MD Standards Council enforce compliance with the Code; workers have access to a 24/7 worker support line, as well.  Farmers who own these farms receive premiums on the milk price for sales to Ben & Jerry’s, and share the additional income this provides with workers.
Since signing up Ben & Jerry’s, Migrant Justice has been focusing on the Hannaford supermarket chain, another major purchaser of milk in New England.  You can visit the MigrantJustice.net website to learn about this campaign, and how consumers can take part.

After watching the films, Carl introduced us–via Zoom of course–to Arturo, an immigrant farmworker in Central VT.  Arturo told us some of his story, and then answered some questions.   He is pleased to now be working for a farmer who pays fair wages and provides good working conditions–especially since he has experienced much worse.
Arturo came to the Vermont about 10 years ago, after growing up and working on cattle ranches in Mexico. owned by relative.   One of his brothers had already come here, and sent back word that there was work here for people with experience working with cows.   He paid about $5,000 to smugglers who helped him get here.  His first job was at a farm which required workers to start milking the approximately 330 cows at 4:30 AM, and finishing up evening milking after 7:30.  Besides the stress on the farmworkers, he says farms like these are also not good for the cows.  Like many other immigrant workers, his housing and work conditions were uncomfortable at best.
For the past 7 years, Arturo has had better working and living conditions, on an organic dairy farm.   He has about 50 cousins also working on VT dairy farms now, and many are envious of his more comfortable living quarters.   But he still faces the limitations of being an immigrant with no way to gain legal status.  Going off the farm to buy groceries exposes him and fellow workers to the risk of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) capture and imprisonment.  He’d like to visit his family in Mexico, but that would be an even bigger risk–even before COVID.  He has had a case of COVID already–but it’s risky for him and others to leave the farm to get vaccinated.  VT Dept. of Health does have plans to send vaccination teams to visit farms and give shots to farmworkers, but this will take time.
Arturo’s future is far from guaranteed, as the farm on which he works is losing its current contract for milk purchases soon.   He supports the efforts of Migrant Justice to improve working and living conditions on Vermont dairy farms, and to support paths to legal status for workers who have risked so much, and worked so hard to keep VT dairy farms going.
We really appreciate Arturo’s willingness to speak openly with us about his story and what he has seen of the general situation of the many (as high as 1500) immigrant farmworkers in Vermont.  We intentionally were not given more information to identify him or the farm on which he works, to protect his privacy.   To see this whole program, including the films and the interview with Arturo, please check out the audio and video recordings on the Grange Calendar listing for April 3rd.

 Grange Policy note:  in 2017, the VT State Grange passed a resolution submitted by our Grange, supporting a Senate bill at that time, S. 1034, which would have set up a “Blue Card” system for agricultural workers, similar to the “Green Card” system currently available to allow legal working conditions for other professions.  This bill never made it out of committee in the 115th Congress.

Some action in the U.S. Congress on immigrant workers’ rights, but…: H.R. 1603, the “Farm Workforce Modernization Act” has been passed by the House.  This bill, which originated in 2019 under the former President, would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented agricultural workers–but it would require up to 8 more years of agricultural work to qualify.  There are also expansions of the H2A visa program for ag workers in this bill.
Farmworker advocates are divided on the balance of benefits in this bill, and the compromises made with agribusiness companies to win their support.   Migrant Justice is raising these concerns, along with the Food Chain Workers Alliance.   I found an informative article which presents both sides, in an online publication about where our food comes from, “thecounter.org“.
This bill is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and is supported by the Biden administration.   I’ll try to keep tabs on it, and urge you to do the same!  In the 21st century, Granges must support all facets of agriculture, certainly including the less-visible undocumented workers who are so important to VT dairy farming, as well as to agricultural production in many parts of the U.S.

April 26th: Another Migrant Justice initiative:  Fair and Impartial Policing Policy for Barre