Section 904 - Subjects for bargaining(a) All matters relating to the relationship between the employer and employees shall be the subject of collective bargaining except those matters that are prescribed or controlled by statute. The matters appropriate for collective bargaining to the extent they are not prescribed or controlled by statute include: (1) wages, salaries, benefits, and reimbursement practices relating to necessary expenses and the limits of reimbursable expenses;(2) minimum hours per week;(4) overtime compensation and related matters;(5) leave compensation and related matters;(6) reduction-in-force procedures;(7) grievance procedures, including whether an appeal to the Vermont Labor Relations Board or binding arbitration, or both, will constitute the final step in a grievance procedure;(8) terms of coverage and amount of employee financial participation in insurance programs, except that the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs and the deputy State's Attorneys, other employees of the State's Attorneys' offices, and deputy sheriffs paid by the State pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 290(b) shall not bargain in relation to terms of coverage and the amount of employee financial participation in insurance programs;(9) rules for personnel administration, except the following: rules relating to persons exempt from the classified service under section 311 of this title and rules relating to applicants for employment in State service and employees in an initial probationary status, including any extension or extensions thereof, provided the rules are not discriminatory by reason of an applicant's race, color, creed, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, place of birth, age, or physical or mental condition; and(10) the manner in which to enforce an employee's obligation to pay the collective bargaining service fee.(b) This chapter shall not be construed to be in derogation of or contravene the spirit and intent of the merit system principles and the personnel laws.Amended by 2022 , No. 125, § 5, eff. 7/1/2022.Added 1969, No. 113, § 1; amended 1971, No. 193 (Adj. Sess.), § 7, eff. 4/3/1972; 1977, No. 109, § 5; 1993, No. 227 (Adj. Sess.), § 29; 2013 , No. 37 , § 3; 2015 , No. 35 , § 2, eff. 5/26/2015; 2017 , No. 81 , § 4, eff. 6/15/2017.