Labor & Employment (Collective Bargaining) in Vermont

introduced · Vermont · House Mar 18, 2025

H 485: An act relating to granting State employees in the Executive Branch and Judiciary the right to strike

H 485 would grant unionized state employees in the Executive Branch and Judiciary the right to strike. Currently, these employees in Vermont are prohibited from striking under state law. The bill amends the State Employees Labor Relations Act to explicitly allow strikes as a labor action. This change directly affects unionized workers in the executive and judicial branches of state government.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 20, 2025

H 290: An act relating to the State Employees Labor Relations Act

H 290 amends Vermont's State Employees Labor Relations Act to include Assistant Attorneys General as state employees eligible for collective bargaining. Currently, these employees are excluded from the definition of "State employee" under the law, but the bill would remove that exclusion. This change would allow Assistant Attorneys General to form unions and negotiate contracts with the state regarding workplace conditions, pay, and benefits. The law is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Public Employees

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 27, 2025

H 402: An act relating to the Vermont Municipal Labor Relations Act

H 402 would amend Vermont's Municipal Labor Relations Act to allow municipal supervisory employees to organize and collectively bargain, removing their current exclusion from the law. It also expands the definition of "municipal public safety employee" to include support staff working in public safety departments (like dispatchers or technicians), granting them bargaining rights. These changes would directly affect municipal supervisory staff and public safety support workers across Vermont towns and cities. The bill would take effect on July 1, 2025, if enacted.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 256: An act relating to Judiciary Employees Labor Relations Act

H 256 would amend Vermont's Judiciary Employees Labor Relations Act to allow Judiciary supervisors to form unions and negotiate collective bargaining agreements. Currently, supervisors are excluded from the definition of "employee" under the law (Section 1011(8)(C)), but this bill removes that exclusion. The change directly affects supervisors within Vermont's court system who were previously barred from collective bargaining. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025, after passing committee referral.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 234: An act relating to determining the appropriateness of a collective bargaining unit for adjunct faculty

This bill changes when adjunct faculty at the University of Vermont and Vermont State Colleges can join a union bargaining unit. It requires the Labor Relations Board to allow adjuncts to be included in a bargaining unit starting on either the effective date of their employment contract or their first teaching day - whichever comes first. This makes it easier for new adjunct faculty to gain union eligibility immediately upon starting their role. The law takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Higher Education Collective Bargaining

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 11, 2025

H 173: An act relating to granting public higher education employees the right to strike

H 173 would amend Vermont law to grant employees at public colleges and universities (including the Vermont State Colleges and University of Vermont) the right to strike, removing their current exemption from the general prohibition on state employee strikes. The bill specifically changes Section 903 to eliminate the existing exception and updates Section 962 to clarify that encouraging strikes by these employees is not an unfair labor practice. This change applies only to public higher education employees, not all state workers, and would take effect on July 1, 2025. The bill directly affects faculty, staff, and other employees at Vermont's public higher education institutions.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Higher Education Collective Bargaining Public Employees

introduced · Vermont · Senate Apr 8, 2025

S 145: An act relating to collective bargaining for Assistant Attorneys General

This bill (S 145) would amend Vermont's State Employees Labor Relations Act to explicitly include Assistant Attorneys General as "State employees" eligible for collective bargaining. Currently excluded from this right, Assistant Attorneys General working in State's Attorneys' offices would gain the ability to organize unions and negotiate wages, benefits, and working conditions with their employers. The bill achieves this by revising the definition of "State employee" in the law to remove the specific exclusion for Assistant Attorneys General. The change would take effect on July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Public Employees

introduced · Vermont · Senate Feb 11, 2025

S 58: An act relating to requirements for the pay plans of certain law enforcement officers and firefighters employed by the State

This bill requires that law enforcement officers in Vermont's Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Liquor and Lottery, and Department of Motor Vehicles, plus State firefighters, be placed on step pay plans allowing them to reach the highest pay step after 18 years and six months of service. It permits collective bargaining agreements to set the number of steps, time in each step, or advancement conditions, while ensuring current employees transition to the new plan by July 1, 2025 - starting one step higher than their current placement. The bill applies to all new collective bargaining agreements for these roles effective July 1, 2025, or later. It does not change existing pay structures but mandates a standardized timeline for reaching maximum pay.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 25, 2025

H 327: An act relating to labor requirements for certain energy projects

H 327 requires corporations building new energy facilities (costing over $100,000) after January 1, 2025, to submit two items to Vermont's Public Utility Commission: a line-item budget from the contractor and an attestation confirming either union labor was used at prevailing wage plus 42.5% fringe benefits, or non-union labor paid the mean prevailing wage plus the same fringe benefits. Fringe benefits include health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid leave. The Commission must make these documents publicly available (with personal details removed) and the law takes effect July 1, 2025. This directly affects energy project contractors and developers regulated by the Public Utility Commission.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Insurance Collective Bargaining Labor Standards Paid Leave

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 25, 2025

H 333: An act relating to collective bargaining for agricultural workers

This bill removes the exclusion of agricultural workers from Vermont's State Labor Relations Act, granting them collective bargaining rights previously denied. It directly affects farm workers across Vermont by amending the definition of "employee" to include them, ending a specific exemption that had kept them outside labor protections. The key mechanism is revising Section 1502 of the law to delete the provision that barred agricultural laborers from being covered under collective bargaining rules. The change takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Labor Standards

All labor & employment bills