VEA Statement on Governor Spanberger's Veto of Public Sector Collective Bargaining Legislation

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) and the National Education Association (NEA) issued the following statement today in response to Governor Abigail Spanberger's announced veto of legislation that would have guaranteed Virginia's public employees the right to engage in collective bargaining and protections from retaliation when they do so:

"More than half a million Virginians who teach our children, care for our communities, keep our cities running, and serve the public every day were promised a seat at the table. Today, the Governor took that seat away. This veto is a profound disappointment. The legislation passed by the General Assembly was the product of decades of organizing, coalition-building, and good- faith negotiation. We are especially grateful to the General Assembly lawmakers and other state elected leaders who listened to workers, honored their organizing, and stood with them every step of the way. It reflected the will of Virginia voters who consistently support the freedom of working people to bargain collectively over wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Public employees are not a special interest. They are our neighbors. They are the educators, bus drivers, social workers, librarians, custodians, and first responders who hold our communities together. Denying them the basic right to negotiate as equals with their employers is a step backward for Virginia and an affront to the dignity of public service. This decision also carries a deep racial and gender impact.

Virginia's public-sector bargaining ban is rooted in a Jim Crow-era effort to silence Black workers at the University of Virginia Hospital who organized for fair pay and dignity. Preserving that legacy today disproportionately harms women and workers of color, who make up so much of the public-service workforce and who have the most to gain from fair wages, safer workplaces, and a real voice on the job.

We are disappointed. We are not deterred. The members of the Virginia Education Association and our partners in the labor movement will continue this fight in every locality, in every legislative session, and at every ballot box until every public employee in the Commonwealth has the right to bargain collectively. We urge Governor Spanberger to listen to the workers who power this Commonwealth and to work with the General Assembly in the future to finally make this right.

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Carol Bauer, President of the Virginia Education Association

Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association