A House subcommittee voted on Tuesday to advance a bill that would repeal a 2020 law that has resulted in a number of public service workers gaining the freedom to collectively bargain for a contract through their unions.
Since taking effect last year, Del. Elizabeth Guzman’s HB 582 and Sen. Dick Saslaw’s SB 939 have triggered a slew of collective bargaining ordinances. Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and the Richmond School Board have all passed measures to opt-in to giving their workers a voice on the job.
Prince William County has taken a step in that direction, while workers in Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Richmond and Norfolk and teachers in Albemarle County and Prince William County are engaged in various stages of the process of securing collective bargaining rights. The Daily Press reported last week that Newport News public service workers are petitioning their City Council for collective bargaining rights.
“My coworkers and I need actual, concrete support: sick leave, childcare, flexible schedules, teleworking for the things we can do at home (like answer phone calls from our patrons), and PPE for things we can’t do at home (like empty the book drop and put the books back on the library shelves). And we need to have a voice at work to tell our managers what those needs are. Collective Bargaining and union rights give us that freedom,” said Charlotte Malerich, a library assistant for Arlington Public Library.
“Through collective bargaining we negotiate for more than just economic security. It’s about securing vital resources to help our communities bring in more public resources to improve education. Collective bargaining is good public policy,” said Charlotte Hayer, a high school teacher in Richmond and member of VEA.
“Collective bargaining is about working conditions, safety, benefits, training, equipment and so much more,” said Bill Boger, an active firefighter in Henrico County, president of the Henrico Professional Fire Fighters Association and a district vice president with the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters representing over 9,000 of the firefighters who protect the Commonwealth. “As frontline workers who have faced the Covid-19 pandemic daily, we are able to provide beneficial insight into what we need to keep our communities safe. And as firefighters and EMS providers, we know first hand what it takes to provide the best services possible. Collective bargaining is a means for workers to have a voice in their employment. Through collaboration, employers and the communities they serve will see the benefit of having important decisions shared. Collective bargaining makes for stronger communities, where employees are not seen as simply line items on a budget, but as assets to the communities in which they live, work and raise their families.”
“My co-workers and I have been on the front lines of the pandemic every day, keeping our community healthy, safe and moving forward. We passed collective bargaining in Fairfax County to ensure that we have a seat at the table for good jobs, quality public services, and safe workplaces,” said Tammie Wondong, a 30+ year Fairfax County employee and Fairfax President of SEIU Virginia 512. “United together, we will continue to mobilize and organize so that every public service worker in Virginia can come together and bargain for a better future.”
The legislation is being carried by Del. Kathy Byron on behalf of the Youngkin administration. The committee also advanced other legislation intended to chip away at the freedom of public service workers to form a union and bargain collectively for a contract, including HB 336, HB 337 and HB 341, all sponsored by Del. Nick Freitas, as well as Del. Dave LaRock’s HB 790.
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Chris Graham
