WOODBRIDGE, VA — Working people and community members joined a work session with the Prince William County Board of Supervisors Tuesday to demand a meaningful collective bargaining ordinance for Prince William County employees.The draft that county management presented to the Board reflected many issues that undermined employees’ ability to collectively bargain over the issues that impact their work and lives every day. Thanks to an enormous showing of worker and community support, the Board took immediate steps to implement some of the requested changes. Prince William County employees and their union, SEIU Virginia 512, look forward to further discussions with the Board of Supervisors to ensure that all employees have meaningful collective bargaining rights.

Collective bargaining is the best way to close racial and gender pay gaps while raising standards for all workers. Collective bargaining strengthens local economies, advances economic and racial justice throughout the community, improves recruitment and retention, enhances services, and is supported by 68% of Virginians. To learn more, read The Commonwealth Institute’s report on Prince William County here.

“Passing collective bargaining rights is a historic moment for Prince William County employees. If we get this right, we can address high turnover rates across the county, inequities in pay and bargaining, and improve the services that we provide… since this will impact our rights at work, we want to have a say in what is included in this ordinance,” says Kim Finn, a licensed practical nurse for Prince William County’s Adult Detention Center. “I urge you to make amendments. My union, SEIU Virginia 512, is asking you to make. Other jurisdictions in Virginia have incorporated these items into collective bargaining agreements.”

During the work session, the Board of Supervisors agreed to the following changes:

1. Hiring a Labor Relations Administrator to effectively resolve disputes in negotiations.
2. Ensuring that there is no retaliation against workers for talking about their union or engaging in union activity.

“We made progress tonight. Thank you for listening to the working families of Prince William County,” said David Broder, President of SEIU Virginia 512. “We are looking forward to working with the Board to bring home an ordinance that ensures that we can have good jobs and economic security for our workforce and quality services for our community.” 

Additional changes are still needed to make the ordinance strong and inclusive, like similar ordinances passed in six other Virginia localities. Those recommended changes include but aren’t limited to: 

1. That the ordinance is inclusive and covers as many workers as possible, including: full-time, part-time or intermittent, and temporary workers, just as collective bargaining in the private sector would.
2. That the ordinance includes the right to bargain over pay, benefits, and working conditions. The “county rights” provisions must not undermine workers’ ability to bargain over the issues that matter to them, including but not limited to: salaries, health benefits, paid leave, workplace safety, staffing levels, scheduling, and racial and gender equity. 

“After witnessing unfair hiring practices, nepotism and cronyism within my department, I decided to join SEIU Virginia 512 and become an advocate for unions here in Prince William County,” says Patrice Summers, a senior fiscal analyst for Prince William County’s finance department. “At the end of the day, none of us go into public service to become wealthy; we just want to do meaningful work and make a living wage. We should all be able to afford to live where we work.”

A livestream recording of the work session can be found here.

In the coming months, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is expected to finalize and pass a collective bargaining ordinance giving county employees the right to join in their union and negotiate a contract.

For a recent interview that the PW Perspective had with a county worker, visit here for more information.