Charlotte employee union becomes official
On Oct. 11, the Vermont Labor Relations Board certified a new union consisting of 10 employees of the town of Charlotte, based on a secret-ballot election conducted on Sept. 25.
Nine out of 10 eligible workers had voted yes on joining the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. As part of AFSCME Council 93, the union will become a new chapter of Local 1343, which already represents municipal workers in Burlington, South Burlington, Colchester, Winooski, Shelburne and Hinesburg.

AFSCME petitioned the Vermont Labor Relations Board for an election in Charlotte in March. According to the board’s executive director, Judith L. Dillon, the workers’ signed authorization cards arrived too early for them to take advantage of the quicker “card-check” process offered by 2024’s Act 117, which, as of July, allows public-sector employees to unionize on the basis of signatures alone, without a subsequent election.
The bargaining unit in Charlotte consists of the town planner, the zoning administrator, the planning and zoning assistant, the assistant town clerk, the volunteer coordinator at the Charlotte Senior Center and five librarians. In April, according to public documents, the selectboard disputed the inclusion of the librarians, citing their management by the board of trustees of the Charlotte Library (“a distinct and separate legislative body”), but the state board rejected the argument, identifying the town as their employer.
The town administrator, the director of the senior center, the director of the library, the director of recreation and the town clerk remain non-union. The Vermont Municipal Labor Relations Act does not grant collective bargaining rights to supervisors (defined by their hiring, firing and disciplinary powers) or to elected officials.
Since the voters’ rejection of the municipal budget on Town Meeting Day 2023, the Charlotte Selectboard has aimed to pacify local taxpayers by investigating potential savings on labor costs. The union formed amid months of discussion about possible ways to trim employee health benefits in particular.
“We are now gathering information and reviewing documents to identify specific proposals we may offer in the contract negotiations,” town planner Larry Lewack said. “We look forward to a productive negotiation for a fair contract.”
While nationwide union density fell to a record low of 10 percent in 2023, Vermont has lately trended in the opposite direction. As of last year, 14.4 percent of Vermonters were union members, compared to 10.9 percent a decade earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Workers who choose to form a union secure better wages and benefits for themselves and their families, as well as safer working conditions, a fair and balanced system for resolving disputes and opportunities to advance in their careers,” AFSCME Council 93 Director of Legislation and Political Action Jim Durkin said. “The improved wages and benefits secured by a union also helps municipalities attract and retain qualified workers, and this workforce stability invariably leads to improved service to residents.
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Bill Regan, Chair, Board of Directors
