The Vermont Supreme Court sided with Gov. Phil Scott’s administration Friday, allowing the governor to order state employees to return to in-person work.
Friday’s unanimous decision reversed an April 1 order by the Vermont Labor Relations Board, which required the state to “rescind” a partial return-to-office mandate for state employees and repay staff for various costs associated with in-person work. Gov. Phil Scott quickly appealed the matter to the state’s highest court, issuing a scathing critique of the labor board itself, and the case saw oral arguments in June.
Last August, Scott’s administration announced employees would need to return to their worksites at least three days per week. The governor has argued that in-office work would improve collaboration between workers and make state government more accessible to constituents.
Leaders in the Vermont State Employees’ Association have long said the return-to-office mandate would impose an inappropriate burden on its members, and that Scott’s administration has failed to bargain in good faith over the policy. Many state staff had begun working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Governor’s assessment of the operating needs of his administration was reasonable, and it is not up to this Court to assess the wisdom of that decision,” said Friday’s order from the state Supreme Court.