Union leaders say veto from Democrat Abigail Spanberger is an about-face from promises she made on campaign trail

Virginia’s Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have restored collective bargaining rights for 50,000 public sector workers in the state. Union leaders say the veto is a “betrayal” and “slap in the face” after the governor campaigned last year on promises to restore collective bargaining rights.

Though majorities in both chambers of Virginia’s general assembly passed legislation that would restore bargaining rights to most public sector workers, Spanberger introduced an amended version of the bill last month that was eventually rejected by the assembly.

According to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute, Spanberger’s amended bill so heavily weakened the collective bargaining rights initially passed by the general assembly that it would “lock Virginia into an unstable, ineffective system in which collective bargaining would remain merely ‘optional’”.

  • crusa187@lemmy.ml
    9·
    2 days ago

    Unfortunately she just got elected and after her 4 year term VA doesn’t allow immediate re-election for governor anyway.

    Best option to remove her would be a signature drive, have to collect 10% of the total number of people who voted in the election. I think between the pissed off leftists on labor rights, and the pissed off right wingers on AR ban, that is actually doable.

    But then, in VA the recall then goes to the state circuit courts for trial. Based on what we’ve seen from them recently, I’m not optimistic they would proceed with the recall.