UVM faculty and staff unions protest third-party health insurance audit, citing privacy fears

Dozens of unionized staff and faculty members at the University of Vermont protested on Thursday, demanding an end to an ongoing health insurance audit that union leaders say threatens the sensitive information of their members.

Members of the UVM Staff United, United Academics, and United Electrical unions, which together represent more than 2,500 staff and faculty members, gathered on the steps of the Waterman building, and later marched inside of the university’s executive offices, to express their fears around handing over personal information to a third party company.

In July, the university began asking employees to submit personal documentation, such as birth certificates or marriage certificates, to Willis Towers Watson, a multi-national insurance brokerage company. The universit