Fairfax County has committed to funding its responsibilities to employees under a collective bargaining agreement.
At its meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 9), the Board of Supervisors voted 8-1 to approve a resolution committing to funding obligations under the agreement with the Fairfax County Government Employees Union.
Workers at Fairfax County’s first unionized Starbucks are officially on strike as part of a nationwide campaign to secure a contract from the coffee chain.
The Starbucks at 3046 Gatehouse Plaza in Merrifield was one of 26 stores around the U.S. to join the picket line today (Thursday), bringing the total number of participants in the nearly month-long strike up to approximately 3,000 baristas at over 145 cafes in more than 105 cities, Starbucks Workers United says.
Update — Members of SEIU Local 512’s Fairfax County chapter officially ratified their collective bargaining agreement on Friday, Oct. 24 by a 99.9% vote, the union announced.
If approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the three-year contract will take effect on July 1, 2026.
By FATIMA HUSSEIN, JOEY CAPPELLETTI, JESSE BEDAYN and SAFIYAH RIDDLE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — With every passing day of the government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed or working without pay face mounting financial strain. And now they are confronting new uncertainty with the Trump administration’s promised layoffs.
A giant, inflatable rat towered over Electric Avenue near Navy Federal Credit Union’s Vienna headquarters on Monday (June 16), staring down commuters during the afternoon rush-hour.
Accompanied by whistle blasts and chants of “union busting” and “Navy Federal, shame on you,” the larger-than-life rodent provided an eye-catching centerpiece for a protest organized by the labor union 32BJ SEIU, which alleges that the world’s largest credit union is undermining its janitorial staff by switching to a non-union contractor.
A long-coming, sometimes bitter battle over the right to represent thousands of Fairfax County government workers ended in victory last week for one union, even as another cried foul over the election process and results.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local Virginia 512 announced last Friday (May 16) that county government workers have elected it as their exclusive bargaining unit for future contract negotiations after the largest organizing push among general government employees in Virginia history.
Fairfax County Public Schools staff will receive most, but not all, of their planned salary increases under a revised fiscal year 2026 budget proposal shared last week by Superintendent Michelle Reid.
However, in order to preserve as much of the promised raises as possible, some positions and services will be cut after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors declined to approve Reid’s full funding request.
More than three years after Fairfax County leaders authorized collective bargaining, a majority of the county government’s workers have yet to choose a representative for future contract negotiations.
That could soon change, as one established union gears up for a potential election this month, while a challenger turns to the courts in an effort to halt the vote.
Public benefits assistance, child care and senior center support services are just a few of the areas where Fairfax County might pull back on funding, as it seeks to close a $292.7 million budget gap.
If approved, the $59.8 million in potential reductions would be the county’s largest funding cut since it slashed over $90 million in 2009 following the Great Recession, County Executive Bryan Hill told the Board of Supervisors when presenting his proposed fiscal year 2026 budget plan on Feb. 18.
Pending final agreement with a key bargaining unit, Fairfax County government officials are ready to move forward with a consolidation of animal care and protection services.
The change, which was approved last year as part of the county’s fiscal year 2025 budget, will move operations currently handled by the Animal Protection Police (APP) within the Fairfax County Police Department to the county’s Department of Animal Services (formerly the Department of Animal Sheltering, or DAS).
