Labor leaders call collective bargaining veto a ‘betrayal’ by Virginia governor

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 500,000 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’”. The veto was praised by conservatives who claimed the bill would have brought on large tax increases. Union leaders say the veto is an about-face from

May 15, 2026 → May 21, 2026