By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
Virginia labor unions and local government leaders are pressuring Gov. Abigail Spanberger over legislation expanding collective bargaining rights for public employees.
The bills, House Bill 1263 and Senate Bill 378, passed the General Assembly earlier this year largely along party-line votes.
The legislation would establish statewide rules for collective bargaining involving many public employees, including state workers, teachers and local government employees.
Spanberger proposed amendments in April that would have delayed collective bargaining implementation for local governments until 2030 and increased gubernatorial oversight of the Public Employee Relations Board created under the legislation.
Lawmakers rejected those amendments during the General Assembly’s April 22 reconvened session, sending the bills back to the governor in their original form.
Spanberger faces a May 23 deadline to sign the legislation, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.
Supporters say the bills would expand bargaining rights long unavailable to Virginia public workers.
In a joint statement released this week, Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, and Del. Kathy Tran, D-Fairfax County, urged Spanberger to sign the legislation, calling the bills “landmark legislation” that would extend collective bargaining rights to more than 500,000 public employees across Virginia.
Virginia Professional Fire Fighters and the Virginia AFL-CIO also publicly backed the legislation this week.
Supporters have also tied the legislation to Virginia’s decades-long restrictions on public sector collective bargaining.
Opponents, including the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League, say the legislation could increase costs for local governments and reduce flexibility in workforce management decisions.
According to the Department of Planning and Budget, the legislation could increase annual state costs by between $24 million and $26 million once fully implemented, excluding additional wage increases negotiated through collective bargaining agreements.
In a joint statement, VACo and VML said the legislation would require significant local resources to implement and supported Spanberger’s proposed amendments addressing local government concerns.
“This legislation is complex and will require significant local resources to implement,” VML Executive Director Michelle Gowdy said in the statement.
VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch said counties remain concerned about maintaining flexibility in workforce decisions.
Mayors from Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach also sent a letter urging Spanberger to veto the legislation, saying the bills create operational and legal concerns for local governments.
The letter states the legislation would limit local governments’ ability to review collective bargaining agreements, create inconsistencies between employee groups and complicate local decision-making timelines.
Spanberger’s office previously said the proposed amendments were intended to help ensure the legislation could be implemented successfully and clarified “that any agreement with budget implications remains subject to approval by the local government boards with budgetary responsibilities.” There was no indication whether the governor plans to sign or veto the bills.
If signed into law, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry would be required to establish regulations for implementation by July 1, 2028.
