On Tuesday, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of a collective bargaining ordinance, which will allow county employees to negotiate union contracts with elected officials and staff of the county executive’s office.

The new 18-page ordinance is a big step in a county that has been slower to adopt collective bargaining rights than others in Northern Virginia. A 2020 law passed by state legislators empowered local governments and school boards to engage in collective bargaining with unions in the commonwealth.

Under the new ordinance, more than 4,000 county employees – including law enforcement and firefighters – will be eligible to bargain over increased pay and benefits. The move comes after months of organizing from SEIU Virginia 512, a union representing more than 4,000 public service employees throughout Prince William, Fairfax, Loudon, and Richmond.

“Prince William County workers are one step closer to bargaining a historic contract that will lift up all working families,” said David Broder, President of SEIU Virginia 512, in a statement.

While the vote has cleared the way for county workers to negotiate specifically on compensation and benefits, it does not include part-time workers or allow for negotiations on actual working conditions – such as personal protective equipment, scheduling, and worksite safety, among others. That key component of the ordinance has prompted the county board to conduct a 90-day review period to address additional changes that would make the ordinance more inclusive of workers left out.

“More work needs to be done, and we expect the Board to come back in 90 days to fix the ordinance and ensure meaningful collective bargaining is implemented for all county employees,” continued Broder.

During the review period, community members, employees and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback to county staff and members of the board.

“Part-time non-benefited employees like me need to be part of your ordinance. We need to be able to have our values expressed and opinions heard through our union, just like other Prince William County employees and part-time workers in nearby counties,” said Ann Medford, a personal trainer and group fitness instructor with Prince William County’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism department in the statement from SEIU Virginia 512. “The exclusion of some of your best and most hard-working employees is fixable … you still have your moment to show us that you have our backs.”

Although the ordinance details how police, firefighters, and public service employees can establish bargaining units, it also specifies that county employees cannot strike. Under current Virginia law, employees who engage in work stoppage can be fired and considered ineligible for rehiring at the county level for 12 months.

The new law in Prince William County is now part of a growing movement of labor rights throughout northern Virginia, including a recent victory for the Prince William County School Board. Under the new law, school employees of the county received collective bargaining rights that have paved the way for union elections in January.

In February, a firefighter union voted to bargain collectively in February in neighboring Alexandria – making it the first victory of its kind across the Commonwealth in over four decades. Just yesterday, the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously to fund a collective bargaining agreement with its police department. Among the changes, law enforcement will see an increase in pay across all levels.