City of Richmond public sector workers join union; want ‘respect on the job’

Workers in the City of Richmond have voted to join Teamsters Local 322, a local union in Virginia representing more than 1,6000 workers in various industries in Richmond and surrounding areas.

The Department of Public Works, Department of Public Utilities and Department of Parks and Recreation are the first City of Richmond workers represented by any union.

“This organizing victory is a clear indication that workers across the Commonwealth know their worth and are determined to get a union contract,” said Dwayne Johnson, organizing director at Local 322. “Richmond public sector workers know that the best way to get higher wages, better benefits and respect on the job is with a Teamster contract. We’re pleased to welcome more than 600 workers to Local 322 and look forward to organizing other public sector workers in Virginia.”

Prior to May 2021, public sector workers in the Commonwealth of Virginia were not able to collectively bargain.

In February 2023, Local 322 filed a petition with the Richmond City labor administrator to initiate an election for the labor and trades bargaining unit.

“We voted to have the Teamsters represent us workers because we wanted respect on the job and to be a part of the strongest union family in North America,” said Mavis Green, maintenance and operations crew chief for the City of Richmond’s Department of Public Works. “We’re excited to have power at the bargaining table, and we can’t wait to get our very first union contract. Richmond’s slogan is ‘one city, our city,’ but now, we are a Teamsters city.”