Economic JusticeRichmond, Virginia—August 26th marked Women’s Equality Day, the national day to honor the certification of the 19th Amendment and subsequent establishment of white women’s suffrage. That evening, the Trump administration sent out a “presidential message” stating that “every American citizen is created in the holy image of God” and indicating their “commit[ment] to protecting the […]
Economic Justice
Press Release
With New Guidance, Trump Administration Threatens to Weaponize PSLF Program on Ideological Grounds
Richmond, Virginia—On August 18th, the Trump administration sent out new guidance to revoke Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligibility from a public service employer if the Secretary determines that the employer has engaged in activities with a “substantial illegal purpose. This novel legal concept is a pretext to withhold funds from nonprofits engaging in protected activity with which the […]
Press Release
How The Cuts To Medicaid in the Proposed MAGA Budget Will Hurt Virginians
Richmond, Virginia—Following several failed votes earlier in the week, late at night on Sunday, the House Budget Committee passed the Republicans’ proposed budget reconciliation bill, which offsets nearly $5 trillion in tax cuts for the top 1% of earners and big corporations with $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid, the program that provides health insurance to one in five […]
News
Virginia Workers Pay a High Price for DOGE
by Kierra Johnson Many hardworking Americans have felt the detrimental effects of DOGE’s clumsy strategy of removing them from their jobs. Several government departments such as USAID, the Department of Education, and others have either been affected by massive layoffs, or they have been effectively defunded. While federal workers across America are being treated terribly […]
News
Glenn Youngkin’s Worst Nightmare: Fair Pay and Rights for Public Workers
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 […]
News
Big Labor Wins Bring “Unions For All” One Step Closer
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 […]
News
3 Things I’d Like to See in a Budget Deal
By Ashleigh Crocker It’s been fun watching Senator Louise Lucas dunk on Governor Glenn Youngkin over the budget the last few weeks. Democrats in the House and Senate want to give teachers and school staff raises, fund schools, ensure corporations pay their fair share in taxes, and legalize marijuana. Governor Youngkin doesn’t want to do […]
News
What Do I Know?
By shay bell Every single day, I wake up and do my silly little tasks. I fill in some colors for a graphic. I write some words about the state of our Commonwealth. Every week, I get on this platform and tell you that everything is within our power to fix. But what do I […]
Press Release
Virginia Coalition for Progressive Values To Host a Press Conference Ahead of Veto Session on the Status of Progressive Legislation
Richmond, Virginia—Progress Virginia and the Virginia Coalition for Progressive Values will host a press conference to discuss the status of several vetoed pieces of legislation. The press conference will feature remarks from legislators, as well as stories from people whose lives were personally impacted by the legislation. Focus areas will include minimum wage, paid family […]
Press Release
Multimillionaire Governor Says Working Families Don’t Deserve $15 An Hour
Richmond, Virginia—Virginia is slowly becoming a better state for workers, and Governor Glenn Youngkin is not going to stand for that. On Thursday, the Governor, who divides his time between his state-funded lodgings at the Governor’s Mansion and his 30-acre ranch in the wealthy DC suburb of Great Falls, vetoed life-changing legislation that would have raised the minimum wage […]