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Connor Casey presents H.485 to extend right to strike to most state employees; committee to seek legal and stakeholder testimony
Summary
Connor Casey introduced H.485, which would grant most state employees in executive and judiciary branches the right to strike. Committee members discussed exemptions, constitutional issues and the need for testimony from HR, unions and legislative counsel before further action.
Connor Casey introduced House Bill H.485 on April 9, proposing to extend the right to strike to most state employees in the executive and judiciary branches who already fall under collective bargaining units.
Casey said the measure would align Vermont with several other states that allow state employees to strike and that exemptions for essential services (for example, public safety roles) could be written into statute. He said the right to strike is not the same as the right to organize and that the measure could provide an incentive to settle labor contracts earlier, reducing mid‑year budget adjustments.
Committee members raised legal questions about the interaction with recently considered constitutional amendment PR3 and whether a court might interpret a broad right to organize as including a right to strike. The chair and members said they expect to hear testimony from the state human resources office, union representatives and legislative counsel to address legal and operational questions.
Casey referenced Oregon as a comparative model and spoke from union organizing experience, noting that the right to strike is “not something that people are clamoring for” but can be a tool to bring parties to the table. The committee scheduled further testimony to explore constitutional and administrative implications. No vote or appropriation was recorded at the introduction.
Next steps: The committee plans to take testimony from legislative council, HR officials and union representatives to clarify legal issues and practical exemptions before any mark‑up.
