2011 Vermont Code
Title 21 Labor
Chapter 22 VERMONT MUNICIPAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT
§ 1722 Definitions

§ 1722. Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter:

(1) "Agency service fee" means a fee for representation in collective bargaining not exceeding employee organization dues, payable to an employee organization which is the exclusive bargaining agent for employees in a bargaining unit from individuals who are not members of the employee organization.

(2) "Board" means the state labor relations board established under 3 V.S.A. { 921.

(3) "Bargaining unit" means a group of employees recognized by the municipal employer or certified by the board as appropriate for exclusive representation by an employee organization for purposes of collective bargaining.

(4) "Collective bargaining" or "bargaining collectively" means the process of negotiating in good faith the wages, hours or conditions of employment between a municipal employer and the exclusive bargaining agent of employee with the intent to arrive at an agreement which, when reached, shall be reduced to writing.

(5) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of labor.

(6) "Confidential employee" means an employee whose responsibility or knowledge or access to information relating to collective bargaining, personnel administration, or budgetary matters would make membership in or representation by an employee organization incompatible with his official duties.

(7) "Employee" means a municipal employee as defined in this section.

(8) "Exclusive bargaining agent" means the employee organization certified by the board or recognized by the employer as the only organization to bargain collectively for all employees in the bargaining unit, including persons who are not members of the employee organization.

(9) "Impasse" means a controversy concerning wages, hours and conditions of employment arising from the inability of a municipal employer and an exclusive bargaining agent to reach agreement after both parties have bargained collectively in good faith for not less than 60 days.

(10) "Legislative body" means the mayor (or other chief executive officer) and board of aldermen of a city, the board of selectmen of a town, the trustees of a village, the trustees or prudential committee of a district, the school board of a school district or the designated governing body of any other political subdivision of the state.

(11) "Managerial prerogative" means any nonbargainable matters of inherent managerial policy.

(12) "Municipal employee" means any employee of a municipal employer, including a professional employee as defined in subdivision 1502(11) of this title, except:

(A) elected officials, board and commission members and executive officers;

(B) individuals employed as supervisors as defined by section 1502 of this title;

(C) individuals who have been employed on a probationary status;

(D) confidential employees as defined in this section;

(E) certified employees of school districts, except as otherwise provided in section 1735 of this title.

(13) "Municipal employer" means a city, town, village, fire district, lighting district, consolidated water district, housing authority, union municipal district, or any of the political subdivisions of the state of Vermont which employs five or more employees as defined in this section.

(14) "Person" means one or more individuals, a city, town, village, or any other political subdivision of the state of Vermont, employee organizations, partnerships, corporations, legal representatives, trustees or any other natural or legal entity whatsoever.

(15) "Voluntary recognition" means formal acknowledgment by a municipal employer designating a particular employee organization as the exclusive bargaining agent for municipal employees in an appropriate bargaining unit.

(16) "Strike" means conduct by an employee or employee organization or its agents which produces, induces, or encourages a work stoppage, slowdown or withholding of services; such conduct includes recognizing a picket line or other conduct which interferes with or impedes the orderly functions and services of a municipal employer.

(17) "Wages, hours and other conditions of employment" means any condition of employment directly affecting the economic circumstances, health, safety or convenience of employees but excluding matters of managerial prerogative as defined in this section.

(18) "School board negotiations council" means, for a supervisory district, its school board, and, for school districts within a supervisory union, the body comprising representatives designated by each school board within the supervisory union to engage in collective bargaining with their school employees' negotiations council.

(19) "School employees' negotiations council" means the body comprising representatives designated by each exclusive bargaining agent within a supervisory district or supervisory union to engage in collective bargaining with its school board negotiations council.

(20) "Supervisory district" and "supervisory union" shall have the same meaning as in 16 V.S.A. { 11. (Added 1973, No. 111, { 1; amended 1975, No. 113, { 1; 1975, No. 152 (Adj. Sess.), { 6; 1989, No. 215 (Adj. Sess.); 2003, No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), { 85b; 2005, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), { 3, eff. April 5, 2006; 2007, No. 82, { 39; 2009, No. 153 (Adj. Sess.), { 14.)