As the son of a union member and two frontline workers, I fully support our public sector employees to have the right to collective bargain in Prince William County. Virginia is among the 27 states that have right-to-work laws. These laws are the result of segregationist politicians who sought to prevent the rise of industrial unions that organized to fight for workers of all races. Virginia passed its right-to-work law in 1947, at the height of the Jim Crow Era. Today, Virginia allows localities to permit collective bargaining for public sector workers within their jurisdiction.
It’s imperative that the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and the Prince William County School Board work together inclusively with the Prince William Labor Caucus to ensure our public sector employees have the ability to negotiate fairly for adequate compensation, high quality health and retirement benefits, and fair and safe conditions at work.
From our teachers, education support professionals, to our county healthcare workers, to our firefighters and EMTs, our public sector employees have sacrificed greatly and risked their lives to serve our community during the COVID-19 pandemic They are the backbone of our County and our community, and they deserve the ability to negotiate for fair and safe working conditions and wages.
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Idris O’Connor is a Neabsco District Representative of the Prince William County Social Services Advisory Board, Chairperson of the Cooperative Council of Ministries (CCoM), President of the Prince William Young Democrats, a graduate of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, and a long-time Dale City resident running for the Democratic nomination for the 31st District in the Virginia House of Delegates