Vermont § 3610 - Negotiated agreement; funding

§ 3610. Negotiated agreement; funding

• (a) If the State and the exclusive representative reach an agreement, the Governor shall
  request from the General Assembly an appropriation sufficient to fund the agreement
  in the next operating budget. If the General Assembly appropriates sufficient funds,
  the negotiated agreement shall become effective and binding at the beginning of the
  next fiscal year. If the General Assembly appropriates a different amount of funds,
  the terms of the agreement affected by that appropriation shall be renegotiated based
  on the amount of funds actually appropriated by the General Assembly and shall become
  effective and legally binding in the next fiscal year. (b) Collective bargaining agreements shall be for a maximum term of two years and shall
  not be subject to cancellation or renegotiation during the term except with the mutual
  consent in writing of both parties, which consent shall be filed with the Board. Upon
  the filing of such consent, an agreement may be supplemented, cancelled, or renegotiated. (c) The agreement shall terminate at the expiration of its specified term. Negotiations
  for a new agreement shall be commenced, upon the request of either party, at any time
  within one year before the expiration date of the current agreement. The parties may
  mutually agree to commence negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement
  more than one year before the expiration date of the current agreement. (d) In the event the State of Vermont and the collective bargaining unit are unable to
  arrive at an agreement and there is not an existing agreement in effect, the existing
  contract shall remain in force until a new contract is ratified by the parties. However,
  nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the parties from agreeing to a modification
  of certain provisions of the existing contract that, as amended, shall remain in effect
  until a new contract is finalized and funded by the General Assembly. (e) The Board is authorized to enforce compliance with all provisions of a collective
  bargaining agreement upon complaint of either party. In the event a complaint is made
  by either party to an agreement, the Board shall proceed in the manner prescribed
  in section 3612 of this chapter relating to the prevention of unfair labor practices. (Added 2013, No. 187 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. June 5, 2014; amended 2021, No. 20, § 324.)