Labor leaders call veto of collective bargaining bill a ‘betrayal’ by Virginia governor | Virginia
Virginia’s Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, on Thursday vetoed a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights for the state’s 50,000 public sector workers. Union leaders say the veto is a “betrayal” and a “slap in the face” after the governor campaigned last year promising to restore collective bargaining rights.
Although Virginia has a majority in both houses of the general assembly passed Spanberger introduces bill that would restore bargaining rights to most public sector workers introduced An amended version of the bill last month eventually rejected by the parliament.
According to a analysis Spanberger’s amended bill so drastically weakened collective bargaining rights originally passed by the general assembly that it would “lock Virginia into an unstable, ineffective system where collective bargaining would remain only ‘optional,’” according to a statement from the Economic Policy Institute.
The veto was: was praised Conservatives claimed the bill would lead to huge tax increases.
Union leaders say the veto is a reversal of promises made during the campaign. In February, a month after taking office, the governor joined A rally in support of the bill organized by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Virginia Mercury reported.
SEIU leaders April Verrett, LaNoral Thomas and Jaime Contreras said in a joint statement that the veto was a “betrayal of Virginia workers who were promised change.”
“Collective bargaining is not a privilege, it is a right. Governor Spanberger looked workers in the eye, met with our members, confirmed his support and made a promise. Today he broke his promise,” they said.
Edward Kelly, president of the International Fire Fighters Association, said the veto was “a slap in the face of every worker who trusted him.” out of 11,000 people in the state. Approximately 8,000 to 9,000 firefighters still do not have collective bargaining rights because their municipalities have chosen not to have them.
“Firefighters keep their word every day in the line of duty. It’s a shame the governor can’t do the same,” Kelly said.
Lee Saunders, President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). largest union A survey of public sector workers in the 1.4 million-member U.S. noted a history of “anti-worker extremists” in Virginia, giving the state “a reputation as one of the most anti-worker in the country.”
“Governor Spanberger campaigned on the promise of ending this historic injustice, but he broke that promise by vetoing legislation that would have finally given most state and local employees the freedom to bargain collectively,” Saunders said.
The Virginia Public Sector Labor Coalition is a group of several major labor unions. echoed feelings of betrayal and noted that Spanberger’s Republican predecessor, Glenn Youngkin, vetoed similar legislation last year.
A spokesman for Spanberger deferred comment until a press release and said the governor also signed other legislation into law last month. expands paid family and medical leave, raises minimum wage and benefits crashing about wage theft
“I remain committed to continuing to work with the General Assembly, unions, local governments, and public officials across the Commonwealth to develop a public sector collective bargaining system that works for Virginia,” Spanberger said in a statement. “However, I believe additional changes are needed to the bill currently on record before me.”
Virginia during the Jim Crow era banned Public sector collective bargaining in 1948 in response to a group of Black workers organizing a union at the University of Virginia hospital.
Before Virginia passed a law permissions The state was one of only three states with blanket bans on collective bargaining for public sector workers after local governments enacted their own collective bargaining systems in 2021. Even after the law’s passage, collective bargaining by state government employees remains illegal.
