“To be clear: in supporting this bill, we are not expressing our desire to strike. No union member wants to strike. It carries risks and requires tremendous work on the part of a union and its members. Striking requires 90% of the membership to vote yes. It is not a tool used lightly.
What having the right to strike does is to level the playing field at the bargaining table. We know that when management understands that workers can withhold our labor, there is incentive for them to bargain in good faith.
We are asking to lift the prohibition and extend to Vermont higher ed workers the same protections and rights that other unions have, notably including k-12 workers in Vermont. And we wouldn’t be alone: Public higher education workers in 11 other states have the legal right to strike.”
Click here to watch Ellen’s testimony. | 
