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Fighting to repeal bargaining ban in Virginia

Posted Jan. 15, 2020 by

"One page versus 65." That's the difference between the length of a standard public educator union contract in Virginia versus one in Pennsylvania, for example, where public sector employees have the freedom to collectively bargain for the terms of their employment, writes one Virginia union member. "Virginia’s one-page contracts are short for a reason. That is, they are purposely designed to be as vague as possible so as to allow all interpretations of power to fall on the side of the employer and supervisor," he wrote.

This is just one story of the plight facing Virginia public employees and others around the country who have been stripped of their right to collectively bargain. Thankfully Ohio isn't one of them (for now). But Virginia public employees are fighting back to defeat the state ban on collective bargaining and regain their rights. With a worker-friendly General Assembly and Governor, union members are striking while the iron is hot. Proposed Virginia House Bill 582 would repeal the ban and return collective bargaining to public workers.

Did you know? OCSEA's main union contract is nearly 400 pages and gives Ohio's public union members the freedom to bargain everything from wages, health care, dental and vision, time off and leave, schedules, education benefits, health and safety and so much more. OCSEA stands with ALL workers in their fight to have the freedom of a voice on the job. See all the OCSEA union contracts worth fighting for at OCSEA.org.