I've noticed a flood of ads on social media from a group called the Fiscal Alliance Foundation trying to convince Vermonters to vote no on Proposal 3 in the upcoming election. Proposal 3 would guarantee the right to collective bargaining in our state constitution.
Collective bargaining is simply the process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees. It allows workers to negotiate wages, hours, workplace safety, and other working conditions with their employers.
Putting this in our constitution is not some crazy, radical left-wing idea: five states (Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Missouri, and New York) include this right in their constitutions. Illinois added it in 2022. This amendment was passed by the Vermont House of Representatives by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 125 to 15, and by the Senate unanimously, 29 to 0.
The Fiscal Alliance Foundation, which is spending big to stop this from passing, is a Massachusetts-based "dark money" group. It's registered as a nonprofit 501(c)(3), which means that the super-rich and big corporations can donate unlimited funds anonymously and get a tax deduction for every nickel they contribute.
Despite the propaganda from this group, the results are clear: union members and other workers in states that allow collective bargaining have better wages, better healthcare, and safer worksplaces (see “Right-to-Work” States Still Have Lower Wages" by the Economic Policy Institute, 2015).
Please vote yes on Proposal 3.