Vermont Has Some Lessons For Oregon

The Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO is my favorite among the 50 state labor federations within the AFL-CIO. I'm doing this post because I think that some of what is happening in Vermont is instructive for us here in Oregon Two examples of what we could be working on arte offered below. 

The national AFL-CIO reports the following:

Top Cut:
The Vermont Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act overwhelmingly passed in the Vermont House of Representatives Tuesday by a vote of 115–26 and will now head to the governor’s desk.

Why It Matters:
S. 102—which was backed by the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, along with a coalition of 26 unions and allied organizations—would make it easier for workers in the public sector to form unions via card check and would defend workers’ freedom of speech by preventing employers from forcing staff to attend captive-audience meetings.

Current state law in Vermont requires public sector workers to move through a multistep process that typically ends in a secret-ballot election in order to form a union. These elections usually take place several weeks from when the petition is filed, giving employers more opportunities to spread misinformation and intimidate staff. Extending majority sign-up (also called card check) to public sector workers simplifies the process by requiring recognition after a majority have signed cards authorizing union representation and allows workers to start the contract negotiations faster. Additionally, as of now, Vermont employers can discipline workers for refusing to attend meetings for which the primary purpose is the expression of the employerʼs religious or political beliefs. During union drives, these captive-audience meetings, which are typically mandatory or involve coercion, can be used to dissuade workers from joining a union.

The Vermont State Labor Council reports the following:

The VT AFL-CIO Executive Board adopted the following resolution supporting the UAW's call to align contract expirations at a meeting on March 11th, 2024. Below is the full text of the resolution.

RESOLUTION

of the

VERMONT STATE LABOR COUNCIL

SUPPORTING THE UAW’S CALL TO ALIGN CONTRACT EXPIRATIONS

[Adopted by a motion of the VT AFL-CIO Executive Board on March 11, 2024.]

Whereas, big business and their political allies have waged a war on workers, and

Whereas, the war on workers has led to deteriorating conditions and spiraling income inequality for working families, and

Whereas, union workers are fighting back, taking strike action in order to secure fair contracts for themselves and for their communities, and

Whereas, working Americans have turned to unions to fight for economic justice and a voice on the job, with 67% of Americans approving of labor unions, and

Whereas, organized labor must find creative ways to maximize our economic power and fight against corporate greed, and

Whereas, the United Auto Workers, led by President Shawn Fain, have called for unions to align contract expirations for May 1, or “International Workers’ Day,” with the aim of a mass strike on May 1, 2028, and

Whereas, the power that unions have derives from our unity; therefore be it

Resolved, that the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO echoes President Fain’s call for aligning contract expirations for May 1, and to prepare for potential mass strike action on May 1, 2028, and therefore be it

Resolved, that Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO encourages unions to consider aligning contract expirations, whether on May 1 or other dates, and therefore be it

Resolved, that Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO commits to unwaveringly supporting affiliates and the broader labor movement in bargaining fair contracts, and in anticipated or active labor disputes.

Beka Mendelsohn of Scoopers United speaks at the 2023 May Day Rally in

 Battery Park, Burlington.

The opinions above reflect the those of the author and are not those of the Marion-Polk

-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter, AFL-CIO or the Oregon AFL-CIO.