All mayors from Hampton Roads' seven major cities signed an open letter to highlight their stance against a bill being currently considered by the General Assembly.
This letter is in reference to SB 378, which would repeal current prohibitions against public employees' ability to collectively bargain. This piece of legislation, if passed, would create a "Public Employee Relations Board." The board would then oversee government unions within the state while also certifying elections within bargaining units.
Watch previous coverage: What's on Virginia Democrats' slate as Spanberger takes office
A bill similar to to SB 378 had actually passed the General Assembly in 2025; however, it was vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
In a social media post, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer highlighted the letter sent to the General Assembly and Gov. Abigail Spanberger on behalf of the seven Hampton Roads mayors.
It reads, in part, "While our individual governing bodies hold varying perspectives on collective bargaining, we are united in one fundamental principle: local decision-making is essential. Each community is pest positioned to evaluate its own fiscal capacity, service delivery needs, and workforce priorities. The ability to make these determinations locally ensures that decisions reflect the unique circumstances and values of our residents."
Below the letter's body are signatures from Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West, Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover, Hampton Mayor Jimmy Gray, Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, and Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman.
Laquetta Mackey, president of the Norfolk Teachers Federation, reached out to WTKR News 3 Tuesday to advocate on behalf of Virginia workers and their right to collectively bargain.
“I’m very disappointed, especially that our mayor of Norfolk Kenny Alexander is leading the effort to deny teachers collective bargaining rights," Mackey said. "Because collective bargaining is so important, it should definitely not be up to the mayor, but up to workers. We need to be able to bargain for our compensation. Just having a seat at the table is so important for our employees, and not only is it important for our teachers, but it's also important for our firefighters and all public workers. It should be a fundamental right.”
Watch related coverage: Virginia primed to give workers 12 weeks paid family leave. But at what cost?
A 2020 bill allowed local governments to recognize labor unions through the adoption of ordinances or resolutions.
SB 378 was referred to the Virginia State Senate's Finance & Appropriations Committee on Monday. Spanberger did show support for union labor while on the campaign trail, but opposed repealing the current right-to-work law. It is currently unclear if this bill would be vetoed if it makes it to the governor's desk.
