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Senate committee reopens Proposal 3 to send constitutional right-to-bargain back to the Senate and voters
Summary
The Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee reviewed Proposal 3, an amendment to add a constitutional right to collectively bargain (Article 23). Labor leaders, nurses and workers testified in favor; the committee accepted further testimony and said it will take a vote within weeks.
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 references “17 of ESA chapter 32” in the committee reading.
Committee Chairwoman Allison Clarkson reminded members that constitutional amendments must be passed by both chambers in successive biennia and then approved by voters; today’s session restarted that biennial process for Proposal 3. Sean Stott, director of governmental affairs for the Midwest region of the Labor International Union, described Illinois’s experience after its 2022 workers‑rights amendment and said the effect in that state was “In a word, stability. No longer would workers right to a strong and effective voice in the workplace be at risk of being a political football blown around by the winds from 1 election's outcome to the next.”
Local witnesses and union leaders described workplace benefits they attribute to collective bargaining. Elena Bender, a registered nurse at the Windham Center in Bellows Falls and vice president of UNAP Local 5122, said union bargaining produced an appropriate wage scale and improved staff safety and communication: “Having a voice through union bargaining was fundamental, especially in a sector where most workers are women… Having the right to collectively bargain provides a more rewarding work environment that not only affects the nurses, but also the people we care for.” Amy Bertrand, president of the Vermont State Employees Association, and Larry Moquin, president of the Vermont AFL‑CIO, spoke in support; Bridget Quinn of the Teamsters and rank‑and‑file workers — including a UPS driver and a carpenter — described how wages and retention could be affected.
Committee members discussed whether passage would encourage more organizing. Stott said Illinois has not seen a large, immediate uptick in unionization two years after its amendment passed but argued the amendment protects against erosion of rights and political swings. Committee members also emphasized public education ahead of a voter referendum. Chairwoman Clarkson said the panel would accept additional testimony and expects to take a committee vote “in the next week or 2.”
No formal committee vote was taken at this hearing. Committee members agreed to schedule more public testimony and to vote on advancing the proposal toward the Senate rules committee and a full Senate vote soon. If the full Legislature again approves the amendment in the current biennium, the measure would then go before Vermont voters on the schedule set by state law.
