For an opposing viewpoint, see the commentary by Stan Greer of the National Institute for Labor Relations.
In 2018, according to Oxfam’s Best States to Work Index, Virginia was named 51st in the nation. In response, the Democratic majority in the General Assembly took immediate action, proposing and implementing a number of worker-friendly bills supporting a minimum wage increase, paid sick leave and protections for equal pay and scheduling. The opposition fought against these legislative priorities then, and they are using many of the same talking points in opposition to repealing the so-called “Right-to-Work” law now. Supporters of “Right-to-Work” laws like to claim that all workers will be forced to join a union. This argument is invalid because federal law makes it illegal to force someone to join a union. They also assert that the economy will collapse and all businesses will close; however, this hasn’t happened in other states, and it won’t happen here. Instead of having real conversations about jobs and the economy, the opposition offers fear-mongering with no evidence that any of the opposition’s hypotheticals will come to fruition.
“Right-to-Work” laws originated with segregationists during Jim Crow. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rallied against Right-to-Work laws because they were intended to be a barrier for workers, specifically Black workers, to secure economic equality and opportunities. Union rights are women’s rights and civil rights because unions represent all workers fairly, without discrimination, thereby promoting workplace equality for women and people of color.
The Right-to-Work law is an attempt to defund unions. The legislation allows non-union employees to benefit from union contracts without contributing to the organizing and negotiating effort. If dues aren’t paid, then unions have no resources to organize. We need strong unions. Unions negotiate on behalf of all workers for higher wages, better healthcare and safer workplace conditions. According to the Economic Policy Institute, “Right-to-Work” states generally have lower wages and are less likely to have health care and pensions than non-Right-to-Work states. Unions have always played a critical role in improving the lives and working conditions of workers. Unions helped secure the 40-hour work week, overtime pay, weekends and child labor laws. These efforts have strengthened the economy. Unions are being targeted because of their effectiveness.
It’s not a coincidence that as union membership goes down, wealth inequality has gone up.
It’s not a coincidence that the decline of union membership mirrors the decline of the middle class.
We need labor organizing to return the balance of power to the hands of hardworking Virginians. Unions use their collective voice to fight for economic justice.
In 2016, Virginia voters overwhelmingly rejected adding a Right-to-Work amendment to the Virginia Constitution. In 2026, Virginia assembly members should vote overwhelmingly to repeal the so-called “Right-to-Work” law.
The wrongly labeled “Right-to-Work” law has always been wrong for Virginia.
Jennifer Carroll Foy is a Democratic state senator from Prince William County and the sponsor of the bill to repeal the state’s right-to-work law.