The Vermont Supreme Court has restored Gov. Phil Scott’s requirement that executive-branch employees report to their workplaces at least three days each week, reversing a labor-board order that had blocked the policy. The unanimous ruling gives the administration authority to enforce the hybrid-work standard and ends, for now, a dispute affecting thousands of state workers.
In its 18-page decision, the court concluded that Vermont’s telework policy leaves the state broad discretion to approve or terminate remote-work arrangements. The justices said the governor’s assessment of operational needs was reasonable and that courts were not responsible for judging the wisdom of that management decision.
The decision overturns an April 1 order from the Vermont Labor Relations Board. That three-member panel found the administration had failed to bargain in good faith before imposing the change and directed the state to rescind the mandate, restore earlier telework arrangements, offer reinstatement to certain employees who had left and compensate workers for qualifying losses.
The policy originated in September 2025, when Scott’s office notified the Vermont State Employees’ Association that eligible executive-branch staff would be expected in person at least three days a week beginning Dec. 1. A Washington County Superior Court order later denied the union’s request for a preliminary injunction, while leaving the labor-board process to continue.
Friday’s ruling resolves the board appeal in the administration’s favor. Scott said the policy would improve collaboration, team building and access for Vermonters. Attorney General Charity Clark said the decision provides clarity for state employees, according to VTDigger’s account of the ruling.
The union, which represents about 6,000 employees, opposed the result. Executive Director Steve Howard told Vermont Public that housing, child-care and transportation constraints will make three-day commuting difficult for some workers. The outlet reported that more than 2,500 state employees worked from home more than two days a week in a 2023 survey.
The scale of the change is broader than the union membership alone. When the labor board first blocked the mandate, state workforce data cited by VTDigger showed that more than 3,000 of roughly 8,000 employees had been working remotely three or more days per week. December staffing totals nevertheless showed little immediate evidence of a large wave of departures after initial implementation.
The ruling does not itself establish when every affected employee must change schedules; implementation will depend on agency instructions and any individual arrangements allowed under the policy. It does, however, remove the labor board’s statewide bar and the associated reimbursement order, giving managers a clear legal basis to apply the three-day standard.
The dispute also has a political dimension. The union has endorsed Democrat Amanda Janoo, who is challenging the Republican governor in the Nov. 3 election. Howard said VSEA would examine other avenues, including future collective bargaining, while Scott described the court’s decision as a resolution of the immediate legal question.
