On November 13 in Amherst, about 300 people marched. They were calling for jobs with justice. Specifically they were demanding “that UMass Amherst’s chancellor Javier Reyes, who is directing the university’s bargaining team, settle the contract, which has kept the Professional Staff Union’s 2,400 members, including over 1,600 members at Amherst, from seeing the cost of living adjustments that have helped almost every other state worker in Massachusetts meet rising inflation,” one of the workers, Ari Jewell, told the Valley Post.

Another worker, Nellie Taylor, told the Valley Post, “Chancellor Reyes will bring home more than $750,000 this year and lives rent free in a taxpayer-subsidized mansion on campus.”

The workers have a web site at https://umasspsu.org

A photo of the march is at the end of the article at:

https://valleypost.org/node/1990

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Planned Parenthood has a health center in Brattleboro. On November 12, a Vermont-based spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, Jessica Barquist, told the Valley Post her reaction to an article in that day's New York Times headlined “Most Women Can Still Get Abortion Pills. That May Soon Change.” The article was written by the Times editorial board.

Barquist told the Valley Post, "Personal, medical decisions should be made between a patient and provider. Vermonters overwhelmingly support access to abortion, with nearly 77% of voters voting in favor of the 2022 constitutional amendment that enshrined reproductive liberty into our state’s constitution. The Vermont legislature committed to their support of these values again last legislative session where they passed updated Shield Law legislation, further strengthening the protections that were already in place.”

She said, “As we continue to see ongoing attacks on abortion access in this country, it is important to note that abortion is incredibly popular among voters. What we are witnessing now are fiscal attacks in lieu of an outright ban. This new wave of fiscal attacks are intended to target abortion in states where abortion is legal, like in Vermont."

Barquist continued, "We are proud to have worked with the state of Vermont to secure state funding for Medicaid patients receiving care at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) after July's federal reconciliation bill passed, which barred Planned Parenthood providers from receiving federal Medicaid funds. PPNNE is committed to providing the highest quality care possible, even in the face of these challenges. We are committed to continuing to show up for our patients in person, as well as via tele-health."