VSEA Press Release On Findings Of Recent Macro Poll Done For Union

April 25, 2011  2:54 pm

Poll Results Show Vermonters Support State Employees, The Services They Deliver And Their Right To Collectively Bargain

Poll Results Show Vermonters Support State Employees, The Services They Deliver And Their Right To Collectively Bargain
 
            Last week, the Vermont State Employees Association (VSEA) learned the results of a recent poll the union commissioned ICF Macro in Burlington to conduct. VSEA was encouraged to learn that a majority of Vermonters support the work being done by our state’s public employees and they support VSEA members’ right to collectively bargain. The poll also found that a large majority of Vermonters favor a temporary tax increase on wealthy Vermonters and hiring state employees instead of private, for-profit contractors. 
 
Here are the questions and responses:
 
1)      Do you believe that state employees work hard and provide valuable public services?
 
Yes = 76.3%
No = 16.0%
Don’t Know = 6.3%
Refused = 1.5%
 
2)      Do you support the right of Vermont state employees to have a union?
 
Yes = 70.5%
No = 23.3%
Don’t Know = 5.8%
Refused = 0.5%
 
3)      Do you support a temporary tax increase on Vermont’s wealthiest to help our state address its ongoing fiscal crisis?
 
Yes = 67.8%
No = 26.5%
Don’t Know = 5.0%
Refused = 0.8%
 
4)      Do you believe the state should contract with private, out-of-state companies for work that could be performed by state employees at comparable or slightly higher costs?
 
Yes = 12.5%
No = 83.0%
Don’t Know = 3.5%
Refused = 1.0%
 
                “The poll results are pretty incredible when you consider the very harsh attacks being waged right now on public employees in many states, including New Hampshire and Maine,” said VSEA Director Jes Kraus. “But the VSEA poll results show that a large majority of Vermonters don’t support demonizing our state’s public employees.  Instead, Vermonters appreciate the historic value of our state’s public employees and the services they provide. VSEA was also pleased to learn that Vermonters support temporarily generating some new revenue and they prefer State-provided services to services provided by private, out-of-state companies.” 
                The Macro questions were asked of 400 Vermonters from across the state. The calls were placed between April 14 and 17.
 
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