The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Subchapter
005
:
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
(Cite as: 21 V.S.A. § 231)
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§ 231. Employee rights
(a) No person shall discharge or in any manner discriminate against any employee because
the employee has filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any
proceeding under or related to this chapter or has testified or is about to testify
in any such proceeding or because of the exercise by the employee on behalf of the
employee or others of any right afforded by this chapter.
(b) Any employee who believes that the employee has been discharged or otherwise discriminated
against by any person in violation of this section may, within 30 days after the violation
occurs, file a complaint with the Commissioner alleging the discrimination. Upon receipt
of the complaint, the Commissioner shall conduct an investigation of the complaint
as the Commissioner deems appropriate. If, after the investigation the Commissioner
determines that the provisions of this section have been violated, the Commissioner
shall bring an action in any appropriate State court against the person alleged to
have violated this section. In any such action, the State courts shall have jurisdiction,
for cause shown, to restrain violations of subsection (a) of this section and order
all appropriate relief, including rehiring or reinstatement of the employee to the
employee’s former position with back pay.
(c) Within 90 days after receiving a complaint filed under this section, the Commissioner
shall notify the complainant of the Commissioner’s determination under subsection
(b) of this section. (Added 1973, No. 214 (Adj. Sess.), § 20; amended 2023, No. 85 (Adj. Sess.), § 75, eff. July 1, 2024.)