In one of our biggest victories of the Session, NFIB led a coalition of over 24 business organizations in defeating the top priority of labor unions.
HB 153 would have repealed Virginia’s right-to-work law, which guarantees that no person can be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join and pay dues to a labor union.
We also defeated SB 426, known as “fair share” legislation, which would have required a worker who chose not to join a union to still pay a portion of union dues to cover their “fair share” of costs the union incurs on their behalf when negotiating contracts.
The labor unions have made it clear this will be their top priority next year so the fight is far from over!
However, there is still legislation alive to repeal the current prohibition on collective bargaining by public employees. HB 582 would create the Public Employee Relations Board to handle labor union proceedings for state and local government employees and goes so far as to repeal the secret ballot when employees vote on whether to form a union.
SB 939 permits local government employees including schoolteachers to collective bargain if the locality adopts local ordinances authorizing them. The bill does prohibit strikes by public employees.
Studies have estimated that public-sector unions cost the average family of four as much as $3000 in additional taxes per year. These bills would impose a heavy burden on local elected officials to administer the system and eliminate any flexibility in employee compensation the next time there’s a recession.
