S 228

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1S.228
2 Introduced by Senators Vyhovsky, Hardy, Perchlik, Plunkett, Ram Hinsdale,
3Watson and White
4 Referred to Committee on
5 Date:
6 Subject: Executive; State Employees Labor Relations Act; subjects for
7bargaining; State employees
8 Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require the
9 Executive Branch to negotiate remote, in-person, and hybrid work standards
10 for State employees through the collective bargaining process.
11    An act relating to collective bargaining over remote, in-person, and hybrid
12    work standards for State employees
13 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
14 Sec. 1. 3 V.S.A. § 904 is amended to read:
15 § 904. SUBJECTS FOR BARGAINING
16    (a) All matters relating to the relationship between the employer and
17 employees shall be the subject of collective bargaining except those matters
18 that are prescribed or controlled by statute. The matters appropriate for
19 collective bargaining to the extent they are not prescribed or controlled by
20 statute include:
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1(1) wages, salaries, benefits, and reimbursement practices relating to
2 necessary expenses and the limits of reimbursable expenses;
3(2) minimum hours per week;
4(3) working conditions;
5(4) overtime compensation and related matters;
6(5) leave compensation and related matters;
7(6) reduction-in-force procedures;
8(7) grievance procedures, including whether an appeal to the Vermont
9 Labor Relations Board or binding arbitration, or both, will constitute the final
10 step in a grievance procedure;
11(8) terms of coverage and amount of employee financial participation in
12 insurance programs, except that the Department of State’s Attorneys and
13 Sheriffs and the deputy State’s Attorneys, other employees of the State’s
14 Attorneys’ offices, and deputy sheriffs paid by the State pursuant to 24 V.S.A.
15 § 290(b) shall not bargain in relation to terms of coverage and the amount of
16 employee financial participation in insurance programs;
17(9) rules for personnel administration, except the following: rules
18 relating to persons exempt from the classified service under section 311 of this
19 title and rules relating to applicants for employment in State service and
20 employees in an initial probationary status, including any extension or
21 extensions thereof, provided the rules are not discriminatory by reason of an
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1 applicant’s race, color, creed, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender
2 identity, ancestry, place of birth, age, or physical or mental condition; and
3(10) the manner in which to enforce an employee’s obligation to pay the
4 collective bargaining service fee; and
5(11) terms and conditions of remote, in-person, and hybrid work
6 standards for individuals employed on a permanent or limited-status basis by
7 the State of Vermont.
8***
9 Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE
10    This act shall take effect on passage.
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