LETTER: Prop 3 is intended to prevent undermining unions

October 13, 2026

To the Community:

Elizabeth Brown’s commentary Can Vermont afford to pass Proposal 3? spends much of its space touting the supposed benefits of right-to-work laws, mostly without citing where she gets the statistics on which she relies.

Unspoken is the fact that right-to-work laws stem from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an organization where conservative state legislators and corporate interests gather to concoct “model laws” that promote corporate interests. ALEC concocted a model right-to-work law back in 1995.

Brown’s view that right-to-work bans should not be ensconced in the Constitution is ironic given that ALEC “has been actively pushing the idea of a second Constitutional Convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution.” 

I think it’s a fair assumption that Prop 3 is intended to keep organizations like ALEC from stealthily undermining unions.

It’s not surprising that Brown’s position aligns with ALEC’s given that she represents the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, one of a large network of nonprofits dedicated to reducing taxes and regulation. The Alliance is affiliated with the State Policy Network, which shares many of the same funding sources as ALEC, including Koch institutions. The Alliance’s 2024 tax filing shows revenue of $754,008, with $259,844 going to salaries.

Lee Russ

Bennington