Why Virginia dropped in business rankings: We ignore the needs of our workers

Virginia is no longer the top state for business. As we all search for reasons why, let’s hear from Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays.

“It’s no surprise, and frankly, it’s no mystery why Virginia has slipped in CNBC’s rankings. When you ignore workers, your foundation starts to crack,” Crouse-Mays said on Thursday, as the rest of us were focused on what we always focus on – leading economic indicators, the impact of federal budget cuts.

The three states ahead of us in this year’s CNBC rankings – North Carolina, Texas and Florida – “do so by offering low taxes and cheap labor at the expense of workers’ rights, public services, and quality of life. That’s not a race we should be trying to win,” Crouse-Mays said, and she makes a great point there.

Virginia is still a “right to work” state, “right to work” being a euphemism for, good luck joining a union and collectively bargaining.

Our tax base has been kept afloat by the artifice of our proximity to D.C., and the 300,000 jobs in our economy that are either directly or indirectly tied to the federal government.

Outside of Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads military-industrial complex, the rest of Virginia, economically, might as well be West Virginia.

Localities outside the Urban Crescent are welfare localities – we get more back than we pay in taxes, with our neighbors in the affluent areas paying our bills for us.

And our elected Republicans on Boards of Supervisors brag about keeping taxes low, like keeping public services at a bare minimum is what’s best for us out here.

“If Virginia wants to reclaim the top spot, not just on CNBC’s list, but in the lives of the people who live and work here, we must repeal ‘Right to Work,’ strengthen public sector bargaining rights, raise the minimum wage, and invest in the working people who keep this economy moving,” Crouse-Mays said.

“The best way to be the best state for business is to be the best state for workers. Until then, Virginia’s slip in the rankings isn’t just a number; it’s a reflection of our values,” Crouse-Mays said.