Senate committee reopens Proposal 3 to send constitutional right-to-bargain back to the Senate and voters

The Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee on an unspecified date revisited Proposal 3, a constitutional amendment to add a right to organize and collectively bargain to Vermont’s Declaration of Rights (proposed Article 23), and heard testimony from out-of-state and local labor leaders, nurses and rank‑and‑file workers.

Proposal 3 would add language establishing that employees “have a right to organize or join a labor organization for the purpose of collectively bargaining with their employer through the exclusive representative of their choosing” and would prohibit laws that “interfere with, negate, or diminish” that right. The amendment text presented in committee specifies an effective date of “the first Tuesday after the November 2026” election if ratified by voters and…