Earlier today, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted 5-2-1 to move forward with consideration of collective bargaining for county workers, firefighters and police. The 5-2 vote means that the BOCS will proceed with creating a collective bargaining ordinance, scheduled for a vote on January 5. In addition to the January 5 vote, there will be the discussion of tentative work sessions in the beginning of the year to further discuss the ordinance.

Service Employees International Union Virginia 512 President David Broder issued the following statement in response to the decision:

“We applaud the Board of Supervisors for moving forward with collective bargaining in Prince William County. County employees work tirelessly to deliver the services that the community relies on. County workers are nurses, mental health professionals, social workers, librarians, parks staff, maintenance workers, IT specialists, and so much more. Day in and day out, they make Prince William County a healthy, safe, and wonderful place to live.

Essential county workers in neighboring localities, Fairfax and Loudoun, recently fought for and won strong collective bargaining rights. Public employees understand the importance of a real seat at the table to transform jobs and improve public services, and so do residents. 68% of Virginians support collective bargaining for public employees because these rights lead to better jobs, improved public services, and stronger recruitment and retention, while closing racial and gender pay gaps. 

Prince William County has an opportunity to join Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, and Alexandria and become a real champion for working families in the Commonwealth. With collective bargaining, county employees can collaborate with county leaders to ensure that all workers are respected, protected and paid a living wage for the essential work they do. We urge the Prince William County Board of Supervisors to move forward and provide county workers with collective bargaining rights.”

This is a major step for providing union workers the opportunity to finally negotiate for better living costs and benefits.