S.254 Labor Organizing and Fairness Statute
Over the last four decades there has been an unprecedented effort to dismantle the power of working people by dismantling the power of labor unions. The conservative movement, backed by billionaires like the Koch Brothers (See https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-freedom-foundation-20180628-story.html) have poured millions of dollars into destroying labor unions ability to organize and function. Unfortunately, these efforts have shown success with states across the country establishing “Right-to-Work” laws; states undermining labor unions ability to organizing; and, more recently, the ultra-conservative Supreme Court’s June 2018 Janus decision that required ALL public employers to become right-to-work.
S.254 is a bill which will help undue some of the harms associated with the Janus court’s decision and the ultra-conservative efforts to dismantle unions. The provisions of the bill include:
- Provide the existing union 60 minutes to meet with and welcome all new employees and explain the benefits contained in the union contract;
- Make it easier to access crucial information needed to help organize workers into a labor union, similar to what is provided under the Federal National Labor Relations Act;
- Protect an employee’s right to deduct their union dues from their paychecks; and
- Provide a timely election for employees to select whether to join a union free from continuous management coercion and intimidation.
Such provisions will make Vermont a standard bearer for supporting working people’s efforts to speak collectively for themselves and to ensure a robust middle class for years to come.