Senate unanimously advances Proposal 3 to add a right to collectively bargain to the Vermont Constitution

The Vermont Senate voted 29-0 to concur in Proposal 3, a proposed amendment to the Vermont Constitution that would add Article 23 to recognize a right to organize and collectively bargain. Under the constitutional process described on the floor, the measure must be approved by the Senate and House in separate biennial sessions and then submitted to voters; if a majority of voters approve, the amendment becomes part of the Constitution.

Senator Rahm Hinsdale spoke in support of the proposal. In floor remarks he said: "I rise with the honor of encouraging the senate to support proposition 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that if passed would give Vermonters the choice to enshrine our future generations the right of Vermont workers to organize and collectively bargain and to be free from laws that undermine those rights." He framed the proposal as a preventive step against legislative or judicial changes elsewhere that he said have weakened worker protections and urged colleagues to allow voters to decide.

The floor explanation included the process for amendment: proposals must originate in the Senate, be approved by two-thirds of the total Senate membership to proceed initially (a threshold met in the prior biennium), and then be approved again by both chambers in the next biennial session before submission to voters. The calendar and constitutional references cited on the floor include 17 V.S.A. chapter 32 as the statutory vehicle for submission to voters.

The Senate roll-call was read and recorded; the presiding officer announced "29 voting yay, 0 voting nay," and stated the Senate had concurred in Proposal 3 and requested the concurrence of the House. If the House concurs in the next biennium and voters approve at the general election, the proposed Article 23 would take effect on the first Tuesday after the November 2026 election, per the proposal’s effective-date language.