The union that represents Vermont state employees is asking a judge to block Gov. Phil Scott’s new return-to-office policy before it takes effect on December 1.
The injunction filed in Washington County Superior Court this week seeks to buy more time for the Vermont Labor Relations Board to determine whether Scott’s mandate runs afoul of the union’s collective bargaining agreement.
The policy, announced in August, will require state employees to work in the office at least three days a week. It is expected to affect roughly 3,000 people, including some of whom were hired into fully remote jobs.
The Scott administration has said the new policy will bring more consistency, predictability and synergy to state government, while ensuring a visible presence to the public. The state recently expanded its physical footprint in Waterbury to accommodate more in-person workers, signing a five-year, $2.3 million lease for three privately-owned office spaces in the Pilgrim Park complex, VTDigger reported.
But the Vermont State Employees’ Association says the change will reduce efficiencies and deal a serious blow to morale, threatening to exacerbate turnover at a time when the state is already struggling to fill jobs. Employee satisfaction surveys show that workers appreciate the flexibility of being able to work from home, believing that it improves their job performance and promotes a better work-life balance.
“Vermonters are going to pay millions of dollars more to get less,” union head Steve Howard said on Tuesday.
A hearing on the injunction request is expected next week.
Colin Flanders is a staff writer at Seven Days, covering health care, cops and courts. He has won three first-place awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, including Best News Story for “Vermont’s Relapse,” a portrait of the state’s…
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