State employees enter the state office complex in Waterbury as the Vermont State Employees Association opposes Gov. Phil Scott’s return to work mandate in October 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger The Vermont Labor Relations Board, whose members are appointed by Gov. Phil Scott to res olve disputes between workers and their managers, has been down a third of its members for months — and hasn’t been at full strength in nearly two years. Scott’s office says the governor is making progress on getting the board filled. But labor leaders argue the persistent lack of staffing suggests his administration is not prioritizing what they describe as a key safeguard for unions in the state.   “It’s not how good government should function,” said Jeff Fannon, executive director of the state’s largest union, the Vermont NEA, in an interview. “It’s somewhat disrespectful — or unfair — to working people and employers who deserve, really, to have their cases heard and have their questions and issues addressed fairly and quickly.”  The board’s executive director, Judith Dillon, said not since the end of 2024 has the panel had all six of its seats filled. Dillon’s administrative role supports the board’s six appointees, who also oversee union elections, investigate complaints of unfair labor practices and intervene when contract negotiations deadlock, among other roles.  In the same time period the board has had slimmed ranks, the number of cases it deals with have increased, Dillon said. There were 62 cases filed with the board in 2025, compared to 48 cases in 2024, according to its data. Among the board’s most high-profile recent decisions was an order in April rescinding Scott’s directive that state employees must return to work in-person three days a week. The panel’s order — which prompted Scott to accuse the board of bias against him — is now being reviewed by the Vermont Supreme Court. A ruling is expected soon. Beyond state workers, the Labor Relations Board also weighs in on disputes at the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges, as well as at municipal governments, school districts and private employers around the state. Amanda Wheeler, a spokesperson for Scott, said in a statement that the governor’s office was in the process of appointing a new member to one of the board’s two current vacancies. The position, which has been open since June, should be filled by the end of next week, she said Tuesday. The other seat was vacated just last month. State law says the governor must fill seats on the board within 60 days after they open up, though the process is not entirely up to him. The law requires the governor to pick from nominees suggested by a separate body, the Labor Board Review Panel. Fannon, of the NEA, sits on the review panel and said in an email that even as someone who plays a role in the appointment process, “I don’t understand why the governor is taking so long.” Steve Howard, executive director of the Vermont State Employees’ Association, also questioned the timeline, saying in an interview that it shows fully staffing the labor board “hasn’t risen to the level of priority” for the Scott administration.  Asked why the governor hadn’t kept the board full, Wheeler pointed to “the added layer of oversight” created by the separate panel and said it can be hard to recruit qualified candidates.  “It’s also important to note that throughout this process, the Board has maintained a quorum and been able to continue to carry out its work,” she said.  Beyond the two seats open right now, another recent appointment to the labor board took the Scott administration far longer to finalize.  Wheeler said Tuesday that Scott had appointed Linda Joy Sullivan, the former mayor of Newport and a former state legislator, to the board effective Sept. 1. Sullivan was appointed to the seat previously held by a member who stepped down at the end of 2024. The seat is one of two on the board for members whose backgrounds aren’t closely tied to labor or to management, known as “neutrals.” Of the four other seats, two are for members who have more experience in organized labor and two are for those who have served in management. According to Fannon, the review panel finished interviews for that neutral seat in January, after which he said the Scott administration would have had candidates to choose from. Even though Sullivan’s appointment took effect Sept. 1, according to Wheeler, it wasn’t until Tuesday, Sept. 15, that the governor’s office informed Dillon that Sullivan had been appointed. That was the same day VTDigger first contacted the governor’s office asking about the status of labor board appointments. When VTDigger first spoke to Dillon last week, she was under the impression the seat was empty — and that the board had only three current members. The board has been able to get by with fewer than six members, Dillon said. It needs a bare minimum of three to function, she explained, with a goal of cases being heard by one panelist each from the labor and management perspectives, as well as one neutral. Still, she said the board members are regular citizens who work part-time and for modest pay. A post last year soliciting applicants cited members making $125 per day. Having fewer members, Dillon said, means more work for each. Citing the board’s increased workload, Dillon raised concerns to state legislators earlier this year that the board was able to dedicate just three days for hearings in 2025 compared to an average of 14 days over the decade prior. Operating with just one neutral member for the better part of two years also made it difficult for the board to get its work done, Dillon said. It meant the sole neutral member it had before this month’s appointment, Gwenna Peters, had to attend a number of more meetings and hearings than she would have otherwise. “We’re very excited,” Dillon said of the new appointment. “The statute was designed and created to have six people, and it’s best to have six people, and we’d love to have six people.” Read the story on VTDigger here: The state panel handling labor disputes in Vermont is short on members at a critical moment. ...read more read less