The Herndon Town Council voted this week to authorize collective bargaining with officers in the town’s police department.
Unanimously passed on Tuesday (Aug. 11) with the exception of one absent member, the ordinance permits police employees to negotiate hourly wages and annual base salaries, and an advance pay program through a union.
Another Starbucks in Fairfax County has unionized.
Baristas at the coffee giant’s Barcroft Plaza store in Lincolnia voted 9-6 yesterday (Tuesday) to join Starbucks Workers United, an affiliate of the labor union Workers United that now represents more than 12,000 Starbucks workers at over 700 locations across the U.S.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has vetoed collective bargaining legislation from Fairfax County legislators that would have expanded collective bargaining rights in Virginia.
SB 378 and HB 1263 from Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) and Del. Kathy Tran (D-18) would have repealed any bans on collective bargaining, mandating that the state and local governments negotiate labor contracts if public employees form a union.
Fairfax County firefighters, teachers and other public sector workers recently rallied outside the county government center, asking Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to sign legislation granting public workers the right to engage in collective bargaining.
The May 6 rally was one of several held around the commonwealth by unions, including the Virginia Education Association, the International Association of Firefighters, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), in support of HB 1263 and SB 378.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D)’s substitute to Fairfax County legislators’ collective bargaining bill has been rejected by the Virginia General Assembly.
The General Assembly is holding a reconvened session to consider the governor’s amended and vetoed bills, including SB 378 and HB 1263 from Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) and Del. Kathy Tran (D-18). The General Assembly did not take up Spanberger’s substitute to the legislation yesterday or today (Thursday).
A union representing some Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) employees rallied yesterday (Tuesday) for restoration of pay, benefits and staffing levels negotiated last year but not funded by county leaders.
“We’re here to make sure the Board of Supervisors knows … they cannot leave the schools behind,” Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) President Emily VanDerhoff said at the late-afternoon event, held in front of the Fairfax County Governmental Center.
Members of labor groups rallied Wednesday (March 25) in support of plans by Comstock Companies to develop an entertainment complex anchored by a casino in Tysons.
“Fairfax residents deserve to have good jobs,” said Emebet Samuel Kassa of UNITE HERE Local 25, which represents unionized hotel, restaurant and casino workers across the area.
Fairfax County is continuing its recent push to trim costs, pursuing budget cuts that are less drastic than the ones proposed last year but could still result in some notable programming changes.
Released on Feb. 17, County Executive Bryan Hill’s advertised fiscal year 2027 budget plan would reduce spending by $32.9 million and eliminate 107 positions, bringing the total amount of cuts since FY 2024 up to $124.5 million.
A bill to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino is advancing through the Virginia House of Delegates after undergoing some significant changes from the version passed by the state Senate earlier this month.
The House’s General Laws Committee voted 12-7 yesterday (Tuesday) to send Senate Bill 756, patroned by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34), to the chamber’s appropriations committee. All four delegates representing portions of Fairfax County, including committee chair Del. Paul Krizek (D-16), opposed advancing the legislation.
Workers at two more Starbucks in Fairfax County could unionize, as a labor strike continues in response to stalled contract negotiations.
Petitions for union elections were filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last Tuesday (Dec. 23) by 14 employees at the Plaza America cafe in Reston (11610-A Plaza America Drive) and 17 at the location at 1438 Chain Bridge Road in McLean.
