Labor leaders call veto of collective bargaining bill a ‘betrayal’ by Virginia governor

Virginia’s Democratic governor Abigail Spanberger vetoed a bill Thursday that would have restored collective bargaining rights for 50,000 public sector workers in the state. Union leaders say the veto is a “betrayal” and “slap in the face” after the governor campaigned last year on promises to restore collective bargaining rights.

Though majorities in both chambers of Virginia’s general assembly passed legislation that would restore bargaining rights to most public sector workers, Spanberger introduced an amended version of the bill last month that was eventually rejected by the assembly.

According to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute, Spanberger’s amended bill so heavily weakened the collective bargaining rights initially passed by the general assembly that it would “lock Virginia into an unstable, ineffective system in which collective bargaining would remain merely ‘optional’”.

The veto was praised by conservatives who claimed the bill would have brought on large tax increases.

Union leaders say the veto is an about-face from promises she made on the campaign trail. In February, a month after entering office, the governor attended a rally in support of the bill held by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), according to the Virginia Mercury.

SEIU leaders April Verrett, LaNoral Thomas and Jaime Contreras said in a joint statement said the veto is a “betrayal of Virginia’s 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, affirmed her support, and made a promise. Today, she broke it,” they said.

Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, also said the veto “is a slap in the face to every worker who put their faith in her”. Of the state’s 11,000 firefighters, about 8,000 to 9,000 still do not have collective bargaining rights as their municipalities have not opted into having them.

“Firefighters keep their word every single day on the job. 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), the largest union of public sector workers in the US with 1.4 million members, noted the history of “anti-worker extremists” in Virginia who have given the state the “reputation as one of the most anti-worker in the country”.

“Governor Spanberger campaigned on the promise to end this historic injustice. But she has broken that promise by vetoing legislation that would have finally granted most state and local workers the freedom to collectively bargain,” Saunders said.

The Virginia Public Sector Labor Coalition, a group of multiple major labor unions, echoed sentiments of betrayal and noted Glenn Youngkin, Spanberger’s Republican predecessor, vetoed similar legislation last year.

A spokesperson for Spanberger deferred comment to a press release and said the governor signed into law other legislation last month that expands paid family and medical leave, raises the minimum wage and helped cracks down on wage theft.

“I remain committed to continuing to work with the General Assembly, unions, localities and public servants across the Commonwealth to develop a public sector collective bargaining system that works for Virginia,” Spanberger said in a statement. “However, I believe additional amendments are needed to the enrolled bill currently before me.”

During the Jim Crow era, Virginia 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 that permits local governments to enact their own collective bargaining system in 2021, the state was one of only three states that have blanket bans on collective bargaining for public sector workers. Even after the law passed, collective bargaining for state government workers remains illegal.