Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor
Virginia lawmakers passed a bill last week to give all public employees the right to bargain for better wages, contracts and working conditions — but excluded public university employees who are not “service workers,” such as professors, librarians and graduate student assistants.
The public sector collective bargaining bill was one of the most contentious pieces of legislation throughout the 2026 General Assembly session. It was the very last bill the Senate voted on before gaveling out for the year.
If lawmakers provide the bill sufficient funding in Virginia’s unfinished biennial budget and Gov. Abigail Spanberger decides to sign it, it would undo Virginia’s historic ban on public sector collective bargaining and put more power into the hands of hundreds of thousands of workers.
The union-led fight to give bargaining rights to all public workers in Virginia has been ongoing for years.
The Democrat-controlled General Assembly passed a similar bill last year, but it was vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Now, with a significantly bluer House of Delegates and a Democratic governor in office, advocates are hoping for the proposal to be enshrined into law. Though its fate is up to Spanberger, who has expressed more moderate views on unions on the campaign trail and in office.
University, home health care workers fought for inclusion
Halfway through the General Assembly session, the House of Delegates and Senate passed versions of the collective bargaining bill that excluded certain groups of workers, per previous reporting by The CT.
The House version had workers at public institutes of higher education, such as VCU, removed. Professors, graduate student assistants, librarians, dining workers, athletics workers and others were all excluded.
Some VCU graduate students have decried low pay and benefits from the university as they struggle to afford living expenses, according to a previous report by The CT.
“Campus workers were removed from the House bill after university presidents used their power and privilege to lobby lawmakers behind closed doors,” United Campus Workers of Virginia previously stated.
The Senate version excluded public home health care workers, who provide nursing and other health services in the homes of children, elderly and the disabled, injured or sick — often for minimal pay. VCU Health is among multiple public systems in Virginia providing those services.
Both groups of workers were initially excluded due to budgetary concerns, but the bill’s patrons said they would try to include everyone before the session ended.
The removals prompted a statewide campaign by UCW-VA and the union representing home health care workers, SEIU Virginia 512.
They roused support during town halls at multiple public universities and held a press conference at the Capitol featuring prominent, Democratic officials such as Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi and Attorney General Jay Jones.
Professors, ‘white-collar’ campus workers ultimately excluded
During the final week of session, lawmakers held multiple behind-closed-doors conference committees on collective bargaining. Conference committees are meetings between chambers to hash out differences on legislation.
UCW-VA, SEIU Virginia 512 and other supporting unions held a vigil outside the General Assembly building in Richmond to mourn their disinclusion, and sway lawmakers to change that reality.
“Restoring collective bargaining rights to public sector workers is essential to working with dignity,” said Andrew Gneiting, a University of Virginia recycling worker, whose mother was a home health care worker.
“I barely saw her between the ages of 15 to 17, her attention and energy was spread thin between the demands of raising four children and caring for patients so their families could be present at their other obligations.”
Lawmakers attempted a number of amendments to cut the financial burden it would leave on the state budget. At first they removed all university workers who engage in “instructional activities in the classroom.”
That exclusion was later broadened to include seemingly all university employees who are not service workers.
The bill defined service workers as those who are employed at least 16 hours per week to perform work “in connection with the care or maintenance of property, including a janitor, security officer, groundskeeper, concierge, clerical and administrative assistant, door staff, maintenance technician, handyman, superintendent, elevator operator, window cleaner, building engineer, or food preparation services worker.” Other campus workers are excluded.
In a press release, UCW-VA political and policy committee chair and UVA librarian Cecelia Parks applauded the steps made toward expanding bargaining rights, but expressed disappointment that so many of their members would be excluded.
“Workers like me are the heartbeat of our public colleges and universities, and we are deeply committed to our students and our institution,” Parks stated. “Bargaining would give us a seat at the table to improve our working conditions, our students’ learning conditions, and our communities, and we will continue to fight until no one is left behind.”
In a statement to The CT, one of the bill’s patrons, Sen. Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said “the House of Delegates would not agree to college workers. I support that and we’ll work towards that next year.”
The public sector collective bargaining bill passed the General Assembly and is on its way to Spanberger’s desk. She has the power to sign it, veto it or send it back to the General Assembly with amendments. The last day she can do so is April 13.