NEWS: NOVA Meeting Celebrates Labor, Unions and the Businesses that Support them
Labor is having a moment in Virginia, and last Friday evening unions in Northern Virginia were celebrated for their achievements.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Email Writer
“When we sign together, we breathe together,” said Elise Bryant, honorary Master of Ceremonies for the 2026 Tribute to Labor Awards Dinner this past Friday night in McLean.
Throughout the evening the room was breathing together as unions came together to celebrate their growth, organizing, political activism, and solidarity.
Sara Nelson of the Association of Flight Attendants was given the Solidarity Award and set the tone for the evening with a rousing speech about the critical role that labor plays in the U.S. economy.
“Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” she said, “doesn’t pass the New Deal with union” support and advocacy.
Nelson and AFA Council 21 are heavily involved in NoVA Labor, serving on the board and showing up for rallies and at picket lines.
In Virginia, unions are again having a moment.
The Growth and Workforce Development Award went this year to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26 [IBEW 26 is an Advance supporter. Per our policies, supporters have no input into editorial decisions.]
Over the last five years, Director of Community Relations for IBEW 26 Don Slaiman told the Advance via text message, “our first-year apprenticeship classes have doubled from 300 to 600 apprentices annually. A decade ago, our members worked about 14 million hours a year. Last year, we worked 28 million hours, and this year we’re on pace to exceed 30 million hours.”
Data centers, he continued, “have been a tremendous source of growth and opportunity for IBEW 26.”
Importantly, Slaiman said, it’s not just data center construction driving this growth. “About 45% of the construction of a data center is electrical work, which means our members are the primary workforce building this critical infrastructure.
Five groups were given the Organizing Award. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 649 were celebrated for winning their first union contract. IATSE Local 22 and 868 have enjoyed success over the past year in organizing, as has SEIU 32bk, which was also recognized.
The other two winners were Unite Here Locals 25 and 23, who had a successful year organizing at airports, universities, and casinos in Virginia, as well as AFGE District 14, recognized for fighting back against the Trump Administration’s union-busting attacks.
Four unions won the Political Activism award for their work in mobilizing support for pro-worker and labor-endorsed candidates:
ATU Local 689
UFCW Local 400
Carpenters Local 197
LiUNA Local 572
The final award of the evening went to the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, which won the Community Partner Award for its work in advocating for justice and dignity for the immigrant community.
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