Vermont § 1982 - Rights

§ 1982. Rights

• (a) Teachers shall have the right to or not to join, assist, or participate in any teachers’
  organization of their choosing. However, teachers who choose not to join the teachers’
  organization, recognized as the exclusive representative pursuant to section 1992
  of this chapter, shall pay the agency fee in the same manner as teachers who choose
  to join the teachers’ organization pay membership fees. The teachers’ organization
  shall indemnify and hold the school board harmless from any and all claims stemming
  from the implementation or administration of the agency fee. (b) Principals, assistant principals, and administrators other than superintendents and
  assistant superintendents shall have the right to or not to join, assist, or participate
  in any administrators’ organization or as a separate unit of any teachers’ organization
  of their choosing. However, subject to the provisions of subsection (d) of this section,
  administrators other than the superintendents and assistant superintendents who choose
  not to join the administrators’ organization, recognized as the exclusive representative
  pursuant to section 1992 of this chapter, shall pay the agency fee in the same manner
  as administrators who choose to join the administrators’ organization pay membership
  fees. The administrators’ organization agrees to indemnify and hold the school harmless
  from any and all claims stemming from the implementation or administration of the
  agency fee. (c) The school board or any employee of the school board serving in any capacity or any
  other person or organization shall not interfere with, restrain, coerce, or discriminate
  in any way against or for any teacher or administrator engaged in activities protected
  by this legislation. (d) A teachers’ or administrators’ organization shall not charge the agency fee unless
  it has established and maintained a procedure to provide nonmembers with: (1) An audited financial statement that identifies the major categories of expenses and
  divides them into chargeable and nonchargeable expenses. (2) An opportunity to object to the amount of the agency fee sought, and to place in escrow
  any amount reasonably in dispute. (3) Prompt arbitration by an arbitrator selected jointly by the objecting fee payer and
  the teachers’ or administrators’ organization or pursuant to the rules of the American
  Arbitration Association to resolve any objection over the amount of the agency fee.
  The costs of arbitration shall be paid by the teachers’ or administrators’ organization. (e) Nothing in this section shall require an employer to discharge an employee who does
  not pay the agency fee. (f) A teacher or administrator who is a member of the teachers’ or administrators’ organization
  shall have the right to automatic membership dues deductions. Upon receipt of a signed
  authorization to commence automatic membership dues deductions from a teacher or administrator,
  the school board shall, as soon as practicable and in any event, not later than 30
  calendar days after receiving the authorization, commence withholding from the teacher’s
  or administrator’s wages the amount of membership dues certified by the teachers’
  or administrators’ organization. The school board shall transmit the amount withheld
  to the teachers’ or administrators’ organization on the same day as the teacher or
  administrator is paid. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require a
  member of a teachers’ or administrators’ organization to participate in automatic
  dues deduction. (Added 1969, No. 127, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1969; amended 2005, No. 25, § 2; 2013, No. 37, § 11; 2019, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 6, eff. Jan. 1, 2021.)