Help Twinfield Custodian And Father of Three Avoid Eviction

Thomas Edson is a hardworking Custodian at Twinfield Union School, where he’s been employed for more than three years. Born in Berlin and raised in East Montpelier, Edson is a lifelong central Vermonter, a husband, and a father of three, to Donato, Malaya, and Odin.

Last month, the rear brakes on his wife's car went out, and the tires needed to be replaced at the same time, putting family finances in a spiral. “We’re struggling to get by, like most everyone else.” Edson says. Paid $17.85/hr, this unexpected expense made it impossible to make rent. Now, Edson has until October 22nd, to come up with this and last month's payment, or face eviction for himself and his family.

For reference, a living wage for one adult with no children in Washington County VT is $22.38/hr, according to MIT’s living wage calculator. For three children with two working parents, the requirement for a living wage is $36.59, more than Twice what Edson is paid.

Edson and his family need our support right now to keep a roof over their head, but their story is the story of Support Staff across the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union (CCSU), which includes Twinfield, Danville School, Cabot School, Peacham Elementary, Walden Elementary, and Waterford Elementary. Support staff have been working without a contract since June, when their last negotiated agreement expired.

In the last negotiated agreement, base wages for support staff were $15.51, more than 30% shy of a living wage for a single person with no kids in Washington county. The CCSU support staff union is seeking to raise base wages to $20/hr by the 2025-2026 school year, but the CCSU board hasn’t budged, leading to a deadlocked negotiation. Keep an ear to the ground for ways to help our hard working support staff win the fair contract and dignified wages that will help recruit and retain the hardworking Vermonters like Thomas that make our public schools run.

If you prefer to donate directly to Thomas's Venmo here is a link to his account:

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=4175177554330741339&created=1728488653