CWA Statement on Spanberger’s Broken Promises to Working Virginians

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union issued the following statement in response to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s decision to veto historic legislation that would have allowed public service workers to collectively bargain for fair wages, benefits, and working conditions:

Governor Spanberger has broken faith with working people across the Commonwealth, turning her back on 500,000 Virginians working in public service. Spanberger campaigned on a promise to address the affordability crisis and give public service workers the same right to negotiate collectively for a better life as private sector workers. But this veto aligns the Governor with her predecessor, Glenn Youngkin, rather than the working people who gave her their trust.

For six years, this bill was debated fully by the General Assembly, with all sides having the chance to weigh in. This year, when universities successfully lobbied to remove higher education faculty, we called on the Governor to restore their rights. She instead cut more workers and sent down a version that would take away the ability of workers to have an equal and fair footing in negotiations. With this action, Spanberger has shown that she was never truly on our side.

Since 2020, CWA has worked tirelessly and invested our members’ resources to win these fundamental rights for public service workers, from state services to our university campuses. These workers include correctional officers who have fought for decades for the right to address longstanding concerns over their safety and staffing. Campus workers across the Commonwealth have been organizing to bargain over stable jobs, predictable course loads, and academic freedom. Instead of keeping her promise to make their lives better by granting this fundamental labor right, the Governor chose to veto historic legislation that would empower hundreds of thousands of workers. It is stunning that any Democratic Governor, who ran on easing the cost burden of the working class, would say no to an opportunity to make such a big difference in so many Virginians’ lives.

We will continue to fight for the working people who serve the common good until every worker in Virginia has the right to bargain for the living wages, affordable benefits, and safe workplaces.

###

About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion