The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees appeared to win the day over the Service Employees International Union, as the board went ahead and set rules for an upcoming election in which about 7,000 workers will be asked which union should represent them — despite the SEIU's urging that the board not rush things.

Normally, that would mean an election within about six weeks, said Carolyn Klinglesmith, an organizer with AFSCME. But this unionization effort is unusual in that while the workers are paid by Vermont Medicaid, they work at the pleasure of the clients and families they serve in homes around the state.

Matt McDonald, an organizer with the SEIU, urged the labor board to proceed with caution. He and other SEIU officials urged that special rules be set up to communicate with a workforce much more far-flung than workers in a traditional office setting. Among the questions: specific rules for mailing ballots, rules governing visits by organizers for either union to workers' homes while they have the ballots, and a host of others.