Virginia AFL-CIO Stands Firm on SB1 as Virginia Inches Closer to Minimum Wage Increase for Hardworking Virginians 

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia AFL-CIO expresses strong support for Senate Bill 1 (SB1) as it successfully reported out of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee today. SB1 re-enacts Virginia’s minimum wage to meet a $15 per hour minimum by 2026. Since the enactment of legislation in 2020, Virginia’s minimum wage has incrementally increased from $7.25 per hour to $12 per hour over the last three years.  

This momentum is supported by the majority of Virginians, as highlighted in a Wason Center poll in 2021. A majority (53%) of Virginians supported raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Notably, this issue extends across party lines, with 66% of independents and 61% of moderates in support. 

Virginia AFL-CIO emphasizes the critical need to index minimum wage increases to inflation, rectifying the disparity between wages and the rising cost of living. The minimum wage has failed to keep pace with inflation, leading to a decline in real wages over the past 45 years. 

Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays issued the following statement: 

“As we commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, it is fitting that we are taking a step towards fair pay in Virginia. Dr. King’s dream encompassed not only civil rights but economic empowerment. SB1’s passage on MLK Day resonates with the spirit of equality and justice, moving us closer to realizing the dream where all workers, no matter their race or background, can live with dignity and prosperity.”

As Virginia pushes forward with SB1, Virginia AFL-CIO stands resolute in its call for a fair and indexed minimum wage – one that ensures a dignified standard of living for all workers in the Commonwealth and keeps our workers afloat in the face of rising costs and economic challenges.