Labor & Employment (Labor Standards)

This bill (S.117) updates Vermont's wage, unemployment, and workers' compensation laws. It establishes a $12.55 minimum wage starting January 1, 2022, with annual increases tied to either 5% or the Consumer Price Index (capped at 5%), and allows lower wages for learners, apprentices, and workers with disabilities under specific conditions. Employers who willfully withhold wages face penalties of up to double the unpaid amount, with half paid to the employee and half covering administrative costs. The bill also modernizes unemployment processes by enabling electronic communication for notices and requiring employers to submit separation information within 10 days of requests to determine claimant eligibility.

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.

H.336 allows employees, worker organizations, or whistleblowers to file lawsuits on behalf of Vermont’s Labor Commissioner to enforce workplace laws, such as minimum wage or misclassification rules. It directly affects workers who face violations (e.g., unpaid wages or improper contractor status) and provides a mechanism for them to seek penalties and remedies. Key provisions include sharing recovered fines (70% to the Labor Department, 30% to the filer if the Commissioner doesn’t intervene) and requiring 25% of those funds to support workforce education programs. The bill also prohibits contracts from blocking these lawsuits and sets clear court procedures for filing claims.

H 337 requires Vermont's Commissioner of Labor to publish enforcement actions against employers for violations of wage and hour, prevailing wage, and child labor laws. The bill mandates that this information be made publicly available in a searchable format on a dedicated website. Data published will exclude complainant identities and information older than six years. The requirement takes effect on July 1, 2025, increasing transparency around labor law enforcement.