by Ashleigh Crocker

Let’s cut to the chase—Virginia’s public workers are the backbone of our communities. These are the home health care workers who take care of your parents and grandparents, the teachers who spend all day trying to teach your kids to read, bus drivers, firefighters, social workers, and many others who keep our communities running. 

But instead of giving them the respect they deserve, Republicans in the General Assembly, led by corporate cheerleader Governor Glenn Youngkin, are too busy passing laws to make their rich buddies even richer to care about working families in our community. Enough is enough. It’s time to stand up for public employees and demand collective bargaining rights.

Here’s why:

1. Collective Bargaining = Real Power for Working Families

When public employees band together, they’re unstoppable. Collective bargaining lets them negotiate for fair pay, better benefits, and safe working conditions—not just for themselves but for everyone who depends on their work. Think smaller class sizes, faster response times from emergency workers, and quality care for our loved ones. Public workers fight for all of us every single day. Why shouldn’t they have the tools to fight for themselves, too?

2. Republicans Would Rather Protect CEOs Than Home Health Care Workers

Let’s be honest: Governor Youngkin and his Republican pals don’t care about working families. They’re too busy handing out tax breaks to their country club buddies and throwing up roadblocks for unions. Meanwhile, women and people of color—who make up a huge share of Virginia’s public sector workers—are getting paid far less than they deserve. Collective bargaining is a no-brainer to close racial and gender pay gaps. But of course, Governor Youngkin would rather play corporate Santa than do anything remotely helpful for the rest of us.

3. A State Labor Board Is Long Overdue

Right now, Virginia’s public workers are stuck playing a rigged game. Without a state labor board to oversee clear, fair bargaining standards, it’s like showing up to a fight with one hand tied behind your back. The General Assembly needs to fund public services properly so workers can win strong contracts—and deliver the quality care, safety, and education Virginians deserve.

Call Your Legislator and Flip the Script

Here’s the deal: Glenn Youngkin and his Republican cronies in the General Assembly want to keep public employees powerless and underpaid because it keeps their mega-wealthy donors happy. Don’t let them get away with it. Call your legislator today and demand collective bargaining rights for public employees. It’s time to stop the corporate coddling and start putting working families first. Our community deserves better.