AFSCME’s Saunders: AFSCME members urge Virginia General Assembly to reject proposed substitute bill to gut collective bargaining legislation

WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement urging Virginia lawmakers to reject the substitute bill submitted by Gov. Abigail Spanberger gutting Senate Bill 378 and House Bill 1263, legislation which granted collective bargaining freedoms to state government employees and enhanced bargaining rights for employees of local governments in Virginia:

“AFSCME members worked tirelessly with pro-worker lawmakers in the General Assembly to pass legislation granting over half-a-million public service workers the freedom to collectively bargain. When public service workers have a voice on the job, they use that voice to improve and strengthen the public services we all depend on.

“The governor’s substitute bill not only fails to durably expand collective bargaining freedoms – it takes Virginia workers backwards by weakening the rights public service workers have fought for and established at the local government level. Instead of workers and employers alike having the certainty created by SB 378 and HB 1263, the substitute bill, if it were to become law, makes collective bargaining subject to the whims of a state agency that could change the rules at any time. Working families need a real seat at the table, not an illusory one, so they can bargain for the resources they urgently need to support their families and communities.

“We thank the leaders in the General Assembly, especially Delegate Kathy Tran and Senator Scott Surovell, who worked around the clock to pass this bill. AFSCME members urge the General Assembly to reject the substitute bill, and send the original, pro-worker bill back to the governor’s desk for signature.”