Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) April 24, 2024
So many kinds of cheese!
What can you make using some of the many choices?
Actually, we will accept any or all of those choices, and for the contest at our Grange, you could win a prize and a fancy Certificate! As we’ve done in the past, we want to include all types of cooks, with all types of food sensitivities, so we’ll happily accept entrants using goat cheese, sheep cheese, even plant-based cheese options! There are so many tasty cheeses in the world. We will follow the State Grange contest in that the dish should contain 1-2 cups of (grated) cheese, so you know we are really looking for cheesy flavors! Please bring at least 2 servings, as we need enough for our celebrity judges to taste. That’s right, we like to get special people to be the judges at our cooking contests. This year, the Cooking Contest Committee, which includes Cecile Sherburn, Liz Benjamin and Martha Roberts have recruited 2 worthy non-Grange members to be impartial judges: State Rep Anne Donahue, and retired English teacher, principal and former executive director of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Tom McKone. They will bravely sample all the entered dishes, and will come up with 3 prize winners.
We hope that contest entrants will bring enough of their dish that we can all get a taste at the Community Potluck Dinner that, as always, will follow our meeting. Nothing is more fun than second-guessing the judges!
The organizing committee would like to have some idea how many entrants to expect–please send an email to Liz Benjamin to let her know you’ll be bringing a dish! If you get inspired at the last minute, just bring it to the Grange at 4:30 PM on Saturday, May 4th!
If you want to compete at the State Grange contest, at Family Camp in July (and anyone can enter, whether or not you’re a Grange member), you will be restricted to using Cabot cheese, and bringing a sales receipt or package.
Seeking support for the Bethel “Middle Branch” Grange
The article below appeared in the National Grange “Patron’s Chain” newsletter this past week, and is a good reminder that not far away, another very actively used Grange Hall was badly damaged by a fire. I will be asking our Grange to consider making a donation to help Middle Branch. That Grange has a large and active membership which has provided strong community connections, services including a food shelf, and an active social scene in a rural town. If you want to donate, there is a mail address, and online donations can be made (with no fees taken out) by clicking on this Zeffy Fundraiser link.
April 6 program: a spirited endorsement of direct democracy–in labor organization, and in society
At last, a delayed report on the presentation by David Van Deusen, former President of the VT AFL-CIO, in the Community Program on April 6th. Van Deusen was elected to the presidency of the VT AFL-CIO (also known as the Vermont State Labor Council) in 2019, as the head of a slate of 14 reformist candidates determined to change the way the VT labor movement works. Specifically, he and the rest of the slate wanted to change from an organization which was run by an executive council, to one which promotes direct involvement by workers in determining policies, and instead of hiring professional lobbyists relies on grassroots advocacy to the Legislature and policy makers.
This decentralization of power has resulted in more regular workers being involved in decision-making, and in deciding on how to put pressure on employers to improve the lot of workers. This has led to increased labor activity in Vermont, including a larger number of strikes and improved contracts for workers.
The changes in the Labor Council also led to discussions in November 2020 in response to concerns expressed by Sen. Bernie Sanders about whether a safe transition of power to President Biden would take place. After debate about what to do if the transition did not take place as usual, 85% of delegates voted to support concrete steps. This led to plans for a general strike of non-essential services if that had happened. This plan was supported by the Burlington City Council, and by leaders in other Vermont towns. As we know, the transition did take place, following the eventual subduing of the Jan. 6th rioters in the Capitol in DC. Van Deusen noted that the national AFL-CIO threatened to remove the VT AFL-CIO officers over this plan.
Since then, in addition to consistently pushing for decentralization of power and grassroots activism, a major focus has been lobbying for passage of VT Bill S.102, the VT PRO (Protect the Right to Organize) Act. This bill has been passed by the VT Senate, and is currently in the House committee on General and Housing issues. This bill seeks to make it easier for workers in the public sector to form unions, to expand collective bargaining rights to agricultural and domestic workers, and to prevent employers from forcing employees to attend “captive audience” meetings to propagandize against labor organizing.
In a vigorous question and answer session, Van Deusen responded to a question about the current school budget crises by advocating for a return to direct democratic decision-making at the town level. He spoke strongly about the long-term trend to make budget decisions by Australian Ballot, rather than live discussion and decision-making by an assembly of town citizens. He acknowledged that this can be a long process, but said that the need for face-to-face discussion would encourage civility and strengthen local community bonds. He further advocated for a constitutional amendment to allow Vermont laws to be proposed by Town Meetings in the aggregate across the state, to reduce the concentration of power in Montpelier.
Van Deusen has just published a book about this period: Insurgent Labor: the VT AFL-CIO 2017-2023, available from PM Press.
All in all, it was a stimulating presentation and discussion. I regret that we were not able to share via Zoom, as the Grange fiber-internet cable was knocked down in the big snowstorm a couple of days before the meeting, so we don’t have a recording of the program. Stay tuned for more programs in even-numbered months! In June, we will have a Sing-Along opportunity for everyone to sing loud!