Right-to-work repeal remains an issue between Democrats
Right-to-work has posed a challenge for Democrats. Progressive Democrats have called for repealing the law, while moderates want to maintain support from business-friendly voters.
By Brandon Jarvis
EDITOR, VIRGINIA SCOPE
This piece originally appeared at Virginia Scope
State Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, is wasting no time in moving forward with a progressive agenda as she filed legislation that would repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law, which bars labor unions from requiring workers to join as a condition of employment.
Meanwhile, incoming Democratic governor Abigail Spanberger has said she is open to reforms of the law, but not an outright repeal. Her team reaffirmed that stance in a statement to Virginia Scope Wednesday.
“Governor-elect Spanberger believes the number-one job of the Governor of Virginia is to strengthen the Commonwealth’s economy and attract new jobs,” a spokesperson for Spanberger wrote. “As she made clear on the campaign trail, she does not support repealing the current statute. As she prepares to take office, Governor-elect Spanberger will be focused on getting things done for Virginia workers, bringing new businesses to Virginia, and making sure parents can afford to live here in Virginia to take advantage of job opportunities.”
Carroll Foy already acknowledged that she knows Spanberger’s stance on the issue.
“I understand that the Governor-elect has stated where she stands when it comes to signing a repeal of Virginia’s so-called ‘Right to Work’ statute,” Carroll Foy wrote on social media. “I’ve filed this bill to make sure that we engage and move on all areas where we can lower costs for Virginia families and protect the rights and opportunities of Virginia workers. I look forward to working with the Governor-elect and my colleagues in the General Assembly to get great things done.”
Democrats have the majority in both chambers and control of the Executive Mansion for the first time since 2021.
Republican leaders are accusing Democrats of lying on the campaign trail about repealing right-to-work, even as Democrats — some for and some against repeal — have been vocal about their positions. While Spanberger stated she does not support a full repeal, many Democrats have openly expressed their desire to get rid of the anti-union law.
All six of the Democratic lieutenant governor candidates said during a debate earlier this year that they support repeal, and Carroll Foy has always been a pro-union candidate going back to her 2021 campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Without Spanberger’s support, however, it is highly unlikely that repeal of right-to-work laws will happen.
Right-to-work has long posed a challenge for Democrats in Virginia. Progressive Democrats have called for repealing the law, while moderates often avoid taking a firm stance to maintain support from business-friendly voters.
2021 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe often avoided directly answering the question.
During his first term, which ended in 2018, he supported keeping the law on the books.
Facing a large field during the Democratic primary in 2021, candidates tried to gain ground on McAuliffe, who was the favorite and eventually won the nomination to run for governor again, by attacking him from the left.
He did not release a public stance on the issue, but a video surfaced of him saying he would sign the repeal if it reached his desk.
“If it came to my desk, sure I’d sign it,” McAuliffe said, noting the General Assembly would likely oppose the repeal. “But listen, you can’t get it through the House and Senate.”
To that note, former Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, introduced legislation in 2021 to repeal right-to-work, but the motion to allow a vote was defeated 83-13 on the House floor. Democrats had the majority in both chambers and control of the Executive Mansion at that time.
Ralph Northam faced a similar problem during the 2017 primary when his opponent Tom Perriello supported repealing the law.
During a debate at the time, Northam said he would rather focus on issues that seem more achievable.
“I think rather than pick fights that we perhaps can’t win right now, we need to talk about how we can help labor,” Northam said.
Spanberger was lucky to avoid the conversation on the trail by being the lone Democratic candidate seeking the nomination.
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My father was shop foreman for the union at the Government Printing Office, which edits/prints 'The Federal Registrar' and 'The Congressional Record' each night. We daughters knew when he had a pay raise, night shift differential, due to the negotiations of the GPO union, because his edit pencil changed color, e.g., from 'proofreader' to 'reviser': We were gifted with his old pencil stubs when he came home from work at 7 AM.
I joined the teachers' professional organization, the National Education Assn in 1974 because our professors at Madison College said, 'it was the professional thing to do, and it provides liability insurance to practice in the profession'.
Over 3 decades of membership, I became a 'union' building rep to support members who had been falsely accused, were treated differently by faculty or admin, or who faced retaliation when they spoke up when school law was not being followed or appropriate work conditions were not provided, such as 'out-of-compliance' admin insisting that the speech therapy room be moved to the janitor's closet or in the basement's oil-fumed furnace room due to lack of building space for able-bodied, typical students who could voice concerns to their parents.
Virginia has recently seen a rise in union activity, and a law change in 2020 now permits local public employees, including those in pink-collar jobs, like teachers, to collectively bargain. The first locality to have collective bargaining was Richmond in 2023. Police, fire, rescue, and public school employees now have this option.
However, Virginia remains a "right-to-work" state, and some potential downsides include increased workplace tension or strikes.
There are now two separate 'unions' in Richmond Public Schools: one for administrators, the other for the teachers. The Richmond School Board voted 5-4 to accept administrators’ changes to the collective bargaining process. (The Richmonder, Ifatusin, V., 11-11-25). School Board members ignored the majority of those who spoke at the public comment mic who were not in favor of the modifications.
Some argue that higher wages and benefits from union contracts could make businesses less competitive. Research suggests that unions do not cause business failure.
Unionized workplaces often experience reduced employee turnover, which can lead to lower costs for hiring and training new staff. Look at how hard it is to retain employees in local public service jobs; it's become a revolving door.
Some studies suggest that unions can lead to higher productivity, improved workforce stability, and better-trained workers through union-sponsored development programs. That stability is especially important in the public schools, during this time of year, in which we're entering the 'resign' period of Winter Break. That's when school employees decide that it's just not worth it for their mental health to return in January.
#Solidarity #Union