05/16/2026
I’m disappointed by Governor Spanberger’s veto of Virginia’s public sector collective bargaining bill.
I also want to be fair: I understand that smaller localities, school divisions, and public bodies with more modest resources raised real concerns about implementation, cost, and administrative capacity. Those concerns deserve to be heard and taken seriously.
But I do not believe they justified a veto.
The bill already included a safe on-ramp. Key provisions would not have taken effect until July 1, 2028; giving localities, school boards, public employers, and the Commonwealth time to prepare. It also preserved important management rights for public employers, including the ability to direct work, hire, promote, assign, discipline, and act during emergencies. And while it required good-faith negotiation, the bill explicitly stated that good-faith bargaining does not compel either party to agree to a proposal or make a concession.
For localities worried about fiscal impact, the bill also required mediators and arbitrators to consider the financial ability of the employer to meet the costs of any agreement. And even after an agreement or arbitration decision, the relevant governing body would still receive the request for funding and could approve or reject the submission as a whole.
That matters. Because this was not a reckless bill. It was a framework. It was a process. It was a path toward giving workers a voice while still recognizing the real-world responsibilities of public employers.
Here in Prince William County, I was proud to help champion our first collective bargaining ordinance, and I have supported strengthening it since its adoption. Our experience has shown that collective bargaining is not a threat to good government. Done responsibly, it creates clearer communication, improves morale, supports retention, and gives frontline workers a structured way to raise concerns before they become crises.
We should also be honest about the history we are still living with.
Virginia’s ban on public sector collective bargaining did not emerge in a vacuum. Its roots are tied to the organizing of Black workers at UVA Hospital in the 1940s, who used coordinated action to challenge segregation, win wage increases, secure an eight-hour workday, and improve working conditions. In response to the power of an organized Black working class, segregationist politicians moved to ban collective bargaining. A 1948 joint resolution made the ban official state policy, and it later became law in 1993.
That history should weigh on us.
Collective bargaining is not just a labor issue. It is a racial justice issue. It is an economic justice issue. It is a public service issue. And it is about whether the people who keep our communities running have a meaningful voice in the work they do every day.
I respect the responsibility local governments have to balance budgets and protect taxpayers. I live that responsibility every year. But silencing workers is not fiscal responsibility. Denying them a seat at the table does not make our challenges easier to solve.
To the workers who fought for this bill, organized for this bill, testified for this bill, and believed that this year could finally move Virginia closer to justice: I know this veto is painful.
I also know this movement is bigger than one bill and one setback.
I stand in solidarity with workers who are disappointed, but not deterred. And I remain committed to the work of building a Commonwealth where public service workers are respected, heard, and empowered to bargain for a better future.
