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Virginia
Virginia’s new blue trifecta puts right-to-work on the line
Given its proximity to Washington, D.C., Virginia has long had a reputation for its off-year elections swinging to whatever political party does not control the White House. After four years of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin—whose victory came on the back of Joe Biden’s first year as president—the commonwealth went strongly Democratic this year, electing incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger amid President Donald Trump’s second term.
Virginia Democrats now have a trifecta in Richmond, and political winds suggest that this could finally spell the end of right-to-work in the state, after nearly 80 years of the law being on the books.
Spanberger’s term doesn’t start until January, but state Democratic lawmakers have already introduced right-to-work repeal legislation that they hope to send to her desk. So far, Spanberger claims to oppose right-to-work’s repeal, but the coming weeks will show if she reverts to her career-long pro-union track record.
In late November, State Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy (D–Woodbridge) introduced Senate Bill 32, which would repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law that prevents private sector workers from being forced to join a union or pay union agency fees as a condition of employment. During her gubernatorial campaign, Spanberger reiterated numerous times that she did not support repealing Virginia’s right-to-work law, saying that supporting repeal was a false litmus test for being pro-worker.
“I know there are those who think you can be pro-business or pro-union….I reject that idea,” said Spanberger in a campaign trail speech to the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. After the introduction of Foy’s repeal bill, a Spanberger spokesperson told the media the incoming governor “does not support repealing the current statute.”
But it’s unclear exactly what Spanberger does support, and a more granular reading of her campaign trail pledge leaves notable wiggle room. In her statements during the election, she claimed she did not support “full repeal,” while leaving the door open by saying “reforms may be necessary.”
Although it’s unclear what “partial” right-to-work repeal might look like, one potential clue may come from Virginia’s not-too-distant past. In 2020, then-Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D–Springfield) introduced legislation that was billed as a “partial repeal” of Virginia’s right-to-work law in that it did not force workers to join a union but could require the compulsory collection of so-called “agency fees” from non-union members.
Agency fees function as a union workaround for workers who refuse to join a union by still putting them on the hook to financially contribute to the union. In the 2018 case of Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down this practice for public sector employees as a violation of First Amendment rights, but agency fees can still be collected in the private sector if permitted under state law. A similar approach to Saslaw’s prior effort could perhaps be used by Virginia Democrats to effectively gut right-to-work, while simultaneously claiming it does not technically constitute Spanberger reneging on her campaign promise.
Past right-to-work repeal bills in Virginia have had a poor track record, even among state Democrats. A 2021 repeal bill was voted down in resounding—and bipartisan—fashion by a tally of 88–13 in the House of Delegates. But since that time, numerous moderate Democrats have retired from the state legislature, making it far from certain what a vote might look like now.
For her part, Spanberger’s past record includes cosponsoring the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act while serving in the House of Representatives. The PRO Act, which included a laundry list of pro-union desires, was notable for containing provisions that would have effectively overridden state-level right-to-work laws. The incoming governor also received substantial support from labor unions, including AFSCME, during her campaign.
Spanberger is right that the choice between being pro-business and pro-worker is often a false dichotomy. But there are better ways to strike this balance than “partial” repeals of right-to-work. For instance, Virginia could look to its neighbor, Maryland, where Democratic Gov. Wes Moore has initiated a portable benefits pilot program for gig economy workers. Portable benefit models allow gig workers to use Simplified Employee Pension-style funds to purchase benefits on exchanges, which they can then take with them from job to job.
As workers increasingly show a preference for flexible work and scheduling autonomy—which often means more gig and freelancing work—this is the type of pro-worker reform that moves labor policy into the 21st century, instead of staying stuck in the labor battles of yesteryear. In addition to Maryland, deep red states like Tennessee and Utah have also implemented portable benefit models, suggesting the bipartisan appeal of such an approach.
We’ll soon see if Virginia holds the line or becomes the second state since Michigan in 2023 to repeal right-to-work. Whatever happens, Virginia’s—and America’s—labor policy debate is badly in need of an update.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Helen Dragas, CEO of Dragas Companies, said she does not feel her company had an “unfair advantage” in pursing a deal to buy Virginia Beach National Golf Club.
Rather, Dragas said her team took the initiative to put forward the “the “best competitive proposal we could.”
Next month, Virginia Beach City Council could vote to sell the 270-acre 18-hole course to Dragas, who along with Texas-based Century Golf, would redesign and refurbish the course. Dragas would then build nearly 660 housing units on the southern end of the property, and build a new childcare center.
Dragas’ proposal, titled “Princess Anne Landing,” was one of nine total groups who responded to the city’s request for proposals regarding of the future of the course.
Still, many on both social media and in public comments have accused the longtime housing developer of having the upper hand, given that she had the city sign a non-disclosure agreement in 2024, more than a year before the city’s intentions of possibly selling the course became public.
As part of an interview Tuesday with 10 On Your Side, Dragas was asked about those accusations and other questions. Responses are edited for style and brevity purposes.
REPORTER: You’ve heard some of the criticisms … sitting through the public hearings. … How do you take it when people say that you got an unfair advantage?
DRAGAS: I say that we invested thousands of hours of hard work and due diligence watching public hearings, media council meetings, digging into those engineering studies that I referenced before that showed the deficiencies, … understanding the comprehensive plan, the Historic Overlay District, the ITA situation, all that. There’s a lot of complexity there and we invested a lot of time and energy to develop the best competitive proposal we could. We never knew we would see it, and we still don’t know if we’ll see a single cent of that investment back. And that’s competition and that’s initiative, and we live in a country that’s always rewarded initiative. And we took it. And while others might have been spending their time on other projects or other endeavors, this is what we were doing. So we didn’t receive any nonpublic information. We just did our homework and I think we tried to solve a lot of problems in one proposal: housing, homeownership, childcare, golf course, you know, redesign and refresh and reinvestment and a future tax stream for the course. So we think we come up with something that provides benefit, not just at offers, but to a lot of other constituents in the city as well. We’re really proud of it.
REPORTER: You were telling me that … long before even the auditors report, you had your eye on that that parcel and thought it would be good for houses. Correct?
DRAGAS: Well, we always knew that there was that section that … could handle some housing, yes. And others did as well. There were other rentals. There was another unsolicited proposal or two. And then I think about half of the respondents to the proposal included housing.
Under the terms that have been negotiated between City Council and economic development staff for months in closed session, Dragas would purchase the roughly 270 acre course for $17.9 million from the city. The city will, in turn, give the $17.9 million back to Dragas, along with $1.8 million from the Virginia Beach Development Authority, to go towards an estimated $38 million golf course redevelopment.
On top of the nearly $20 million the city would give the development team for the golf course work, the city could contribute up to nearly $8 million in public infrastructure along Tournament Drive and Princess Anne Road, to include turn lanes, streetscape improvements, utility relocations, and a sewer extension.
REPORTER: Why does it need to be a public-private partnership?
DRAGAS: So right now the city has millions of dollars in deferred renovation — $7.7 million in identified stormwater deficiencies and remaining clubhouse and facilities repair. That doesn’t cover anything about renovating a 30-year-old course. And … everything needs a renovation, refurbishment at some point in its life, physical life. And so, this course needs that. There’s also public infrastructure that serves the entire area right there. So there’s some Virginia Beach Development Authority parcels that sit there and the first tee … as you probably know, is that land is going to be dedicated to the First Tee. There’s sanitary sanitary sewer infrastructure that serves all those parcels that was originally connected to be temporary, and that was almost 30 years ago. So the city has, I think, some deferred public infrastructure costs as well. What our proposal does is take the city off the hook for future maintenance liabilities. They’re actually going to come out of pocket less than they would if they just did the stormwater and the clubhouse repairs that were made, and in exchange, the city will have a $3.4 million a year tax revenue stream, a completely refreshed and refreshed renovated golf course, a badly needed child care facility and then, of course, the homes, homeownership opportunities for over 600 families.
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