Bill > H0174

This bill proposes significant changes to the Vermont Labor Relations Board's operations, primarily focusing on grievance procedures and unfair labor practice investigations. The legislation mandates that binding arbitration, rather than appeals to the Labor Relations Board, become the final step in the grievance process for public sector employees. This means that employee disputes will now be resolved through arbitration, effectively removing the Labor Relations Board's role in hearing individual grievances. Additionally, the bill establishes specific timelines for handling unfair labor practice charges, requiring the Board to hold hearings within 90 days of an answer being filed, issue post-hearing briefs within 14 days, and render a decision within 30 days after the hearing or receipt of briefs. The bill also updates various sections of Vermont's labor relations statutes to reflect these changes, such as removing references to Board-level grievance hearings and standardizing language around arbitration procedures. These modifications aim to streamline the labor dispute resolution process, provide more predictable timelines for addressing workplace issues, and shift the final decision-making authority from the Labor Relations Board to independent arbitrators. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, giving stakeholders time to prepare for the new procedures.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.174