Posts tagged Virginia
Richmond-Area Penske Workers Latest to Eject Teamsters Following Unanimous Vote to End Teamsters’ So-Called ‘Representation’
September 23, 2026 // Employees at Penske Truck Leasing are officially free from the unwanted “representation” of Teamsters Local 592 union officials, after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certified a vote of Penske workers to “decertify” Teamsters union bosses. The decertification effort was spearheaded by Penske employee Jordan Cutrell, who received free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys during the decertification process.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden files injunction to end ‘unlawful’ picketing amid ongoing strike
September 22, 2026 // The dispute between Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and union workers is escalating as the Garden seeks a temporary injunction against picketers who have been on strike for more than two weeks. According to court documents, the Garden is asking a judge to prohibit picketers from engaging in what it describes as unlawful conduct. The motion alleges some picketers have blocked its entrance, used abusive language toward employees crossing the picket line, trespassed on its property and engaged in conduct that endangered public safety
Report: The Battle for Worker Freedom: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws
September 10, 2026 // Union executives are prioritizing recruitment. The fastest-growing category of public sector labor legislation expands collective bargaining into new workplaces. On the strength of these new laws, union executives are slowly replacing their membership losses since 2018. From 2018 to 2025, the country’s four largest government unions report a net decline in membership of 87,919, or 1.3 percent. However, they also report a collective gain of 232,502 members, or 3.5 percent since 2024. This report awards full letter-grade increases to Idaho (now A) and Louisiana (now B) due to their adoption of pro-worker labor reforms this past legislative session. However, the drops in grades—Nebraska (D), Nevada (D), and Rhode Island (F)—are the result of these states prioritizing union executives over workers and enacting laws helping unions recruit, politick, organize, and strike. Thirteen states now have an “A” or “A+” grade—up from twelve in the previous edition of this report—while six states earned an “F”—up from five over the same time period. Overall, the research finds 25 states fall below a “C.”
Blue-Collar Jobs Are the New Flashpoint in Data-Center Fight
September 3, 2026 // During construction, data centers need people who can pour concrete, wire electric panels and install equipment like power generators and chillers to keep servers cool. Once the centers are built, they don’t employ as many workers but provide steady streams of tax revenue to fund local schools and other projects. Some locals have opposed the tax breaks that attract the investment, prompting some states to pause or claw them back. The build-out has pushed Meta Platforms and other tech companies to invest in training skilled workers. OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft also have partnerships with unions and have highlighted worker shortages as a key bottleneck for the U.S. in the AI race.
Guest Column: Virginians should celebrate Right to Work law
September 3, 2026 // According to a recent analysis from the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, from 2015 to 2025 private sector employment grew by 15% in Right to Work states compared to a stunted 5.8% growth in forced-unionism states. Over the same 10-year period, Right to Work states’ manufacturing jobs grew a steady 7.7%, while states without Right to Work lost 2.9% of existing manufacturing jobs. Right to Work laws consistently rank as one of the most important factors business leaders consider when deciding where to relocate or expand, creating new jobs. Consequently, from 2012 to 2023, workers and residents in 23 forced-unionism states have migrated to Right to Work states, resulting in an accumulative $2.05 trillion loss in adjusted gross income for forced-unionism states.
Ex-owners of closed Baby’s on Fire open up about decision to shut down
August 14, 2026 // United Food and Commercial Workers Local 27 President Jason Chorpenning previously said in a statement that the owners’ move to shutter Baby’s On Fire was “union-busting 101.” The owners also confirmed they were staying in Portugal to help “business lower its payroll and health insurance costs” following David being diagnosed with skin cancer. They also dismissed the idea of being “absentee owners” after the workers’ union said in a June letter they’ve been “stewards” for the cafe, as the owners have lived abroad.
Lewis Ginter CEO calls out union workers attempts to ‘smear and tarnish’ non-profit’s image amid labor contract dispute
August 6, 2026 // To date, we have opted to provide minimal comments to the broader media about negotiations in order to protect the Garden and respect the negotiating process. However, given the impact of the Machinists’ actions this past week, I’d like to use this opportunity to share some facts about negotiations. The Machinists union is a large international organization representing nearly 600,000 active and retired members across aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, rail, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other large industries in North America. They are sustained by union dues collected by their members. We are either the first, or among the first, botanical garden and non-profit organization their local lodge has represented. In fact, unions in museums, gardens, zoos and cultural sites are rare and the Machinists has little experience supporting the nature of the work we do as a place-based cultural site.
Unions Are Coming for Your Uber Driver
August 4, 2026 // The sectoral-bargaining approach made headway in 2022, when California signed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Act, or FAST, into law. The act was replaced by a compromise agreement before going into full effect. But under the original provisions, it would have established a 10-member Fast Food Council appointed by the governor and state Legislature to set labor rules for the Golden State’s fast-food industry. The FAST Act marked a pivot toward sectoral-bargaining strategies in America, importing the tactic from Europe and Australia. For decades before the FAST Act, the United Auto Workers used tactics like “pattern bargaining” in negotiations with the Big Three automakers.
Newport News unanimously passes collective bargaining framework for city employees
July 18, 2026 // In Virginia, collective bargaining for public employees was prohibited until a 2021 law allowed cities to legalize it individually. So far, Portsmouth is the only other city in Hampton Roads to adopt collective bargaining.
Pennsylvania minimum wage bill stalls in state senate amid push for $15 an hour
July 1, 2026 // Citing the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office, many GOP members say an increase in the minimum wage would result in layoffs, reduced hours, increased costs to customers, and the destruction of small businesses. At this point, House Bill 2189 remains in the Senate but off the table and unlikely to be debated or voted on—at least for now.