Consumer Protection

Secure retirement for all Vermonters

The numbers don’t look good: almost half of all private-sector employees in Vermont lack access to a retirement plan through their employer, and for those who are able to save, it’s often “insufficient”. In fact, the average balance for Vermonters with defined contribution accounts is the lowest in the country.Better retirement savings would strengthen the …

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Paid Family & Medical Leave: Supporting VT workers & small businesses

We all know that balancing life and work can be hard- and after a birth, serious injury, or long-term illness, that balance can be near impossible. This is especially true when workers and their families are forced to choose between a paycheck, and staying home to care for themselves or a loved one. Most countries …

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300+ advocacy organizations join in national opposition to mega-mergers

VPIRG joined over 300 other farming, beekeeping, farm worker, religious, food safety, and conservation advocacy groups this week in calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to put consumer and farmer interests above corporate interests, by conducting a thorough investigation of the proposed mergers between the world’s largest agrochemical and seed companies – Bayer AG …

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“Not for use by Children”

After VPIRG released our 31st annual Trouble in Toyland report and data from Vermont’s Toxic Free Families Act the responses from manufacturers and the toy industry were a bit puzzling. Instead of addressing known and possible carcinogens contained in their products, or ways to ensure parents know when toys are recalled, they wanted to make …

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31st Annual Survey Finds Recalled Toys in Online Stores

Advocates Identify Toys Containing Dangerous Chemicals Available in Vermont Some toys that have been recalled for lead or powerful magnets or other hazards can still be found in online stores, according to VPIRG’s 31st annual Trouble in Toyland report. The survey of potentially hazardous toys found that consumers should be wary when shopping this holiday …

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Sham GMO labeling law eliminates Vermont’s Act 120

On Friday, July 29th President Obama signed the Stabenow-Roberts labeling bill, otherwise known as the “DARK Act,” which was passed in an effort to eliminate Vermont’s GMO labeling law. In response, the Vermont Attorney General announced on Wednesday, August 3rd that our law will no longer be enforced. Manufacturers have already begun labeling their products …

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VPIRG Letter to President Obama: Veto the Sham Labeling Bill

*You can still make your voice heard on this issue. Sign the official White House petition asking President Obama to veto this bill!* As delivered to President Barack Obama: I am writing on behalf of Vermont Public Interest Research Group to ask you to veto the Roberts-Stabenow bill regarding labels on genetically engineered foods. This …

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VPIRG reaction to Senate vote on GMO “labeling” bill

Yesterday afternoon, the US Senate voted in favor of bringing up a final vote on a GMO labeling proposal put forward by Senator Stabenow (D-Mich) and Senator Roberts (R-Kan). This bill would eliminate Vermont’s first-in-the-nation GMO labeling law, and delay any labeling for up to two years while the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture …

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Act 120 is live!

Today, VPIRG and the Vermont Right to Know GMOs coalition joined Governor Shumlin, Senators Sanders and Leahy, Representative Welch, and supporters from around the country in celebrating Vermont’s first-in-the-nation GMO labeling law taking effect. The celebration took place on the State House lawn, where Governor Shumlin signed the bill into law a little over two years …

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Join us to celebrate labeling GMOs!

On July 1st Vermont will become the first state in the nation to require labels on genetically engineered foods! This victory will be the culmination of years of hard work by advocates, legislators and citizens across the state.  Thanks to Vermont’s labeling law, national food manufacturers General Mills, Kellogg, Con Agra, Campbell’s and Mars have …

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