Richmond, VA-–The summer of 2024 has been an extraordinary time for labor, with big wins for workers in traditional union roles alongside victories for workers in more surprising roles: theater techs, graduate students, baristas, and game developers at World of Warcraft, among others. Several recent successes in Virginia demonstrate the power of joining a union and collectively bargaining to  change the lives of workers for the better. “It’s a Hot Labor Summer,” said David Broder, Executive Director of the SEIU Virginia State Council. “Working people across Virginia are coming together in their unions to build a powerful, multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-generational worker movement for economic, racial and immigrant justice, and they’re just getting started.” 

In case you missed it, here’s a small sample of the way union members and not-yet-union workers are organizing to make a difference for Virginia working families this summer:

• Richmond City Workers Win First-Ever Union Contract: On July 1, Richmond City workers saw an immediate pay bump in anticipation of a cumulative 10.5% raise, along with protection from retaliation and better worker protections. These wins were the result of a historic contract negotiated in January of 2024, the first of its kind in a city that had often been seen as unfriendly to organized labor. The Admin & Tech bargaining unit, which is made up of 70% women and 81% people of color, has been historically underpaid despite providing essential services that allow the city to function. 
• Charlottesville Bus Drivers and Firefighters Begin Working Under a Union Contract: Charlottesville was the first city in Virginia to deny collective bargaining rights to public sector employees; this month, many public workers began working under a union-negotiated contract for the first time, and other public-sector employees are beginning the organizing process. For some bus drivers, this means a pay bump from $23 to $31/hour, a critical raise in a city where one-quarter of residents do not earn enough to meet their housing needs. 
• Workers at Reagan and Dulles Airports Win 40 hours of paid sick leave: Workers at Northern Virginia’s major airports, whose pay and benefits have lagged behind those of their colleagues in other transit hubs, won a major victory this month. They will now be eligible for 40 hours of paid sick leave to care for themselves and their loved ones. This week, Hazel Tyson Vialva, a wheelchair agent at Dulles and a member of SEIU 32BJ, traveled to the White House to celebrate the victory.  She shared her story about getting diagnosed with COVID and having to go to work anyway because she couldn’t take time off and also pay her bills. The successful fight for sick leave allows Hazel and her coworkers at Dulles to take time off to recover from illness and helps protect the millions of passengers who travel through the DC airports every year.