Lost in revision
CORRECTION 2/18/26: Language in the HB1263 substitute excludes all higher education employees from collective bargaining units through its definition of “state agencies.” The following article has been edited for accuracy. C-VILLE regrets the error.
The House of Delegates Appropriations committee quietly removed higher education employees from HB1263, its collective bargaining legislation, on February 13.
As of press time, HB1263 creates bargaining units for individual home care providers and state and local government employees. Per the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission’s fiscal impact review, the “state and local government employees” unit would not include any employee at public higher education institutions based on the bill’s definition of “state agencies.”.
“When the federal government attacked UVA, we put ourselves on the line to protect this institution,” said Ian Mullins, a University of Virginia professor and United Campus Workers member, in a February 15 press release. “We put ourselves out there and defended UVA in a very public way when our administrators wouldn’t. Collective bargaining would help faculty feel empowered to stand up for the university without fear of retaliation because we would have contracts we could use to defend ourselves. We would be able to participate in decisions made in the university and about the university. We can help the university stand up for itself.”
With the Senate version of the legislation, SB378, changed to exclude home health care workers on February 17, organizers are now rallying for the the final, mediated bill sent to the governor to include all proposed bargaining units. A coalition of organizers, including UCWVA, is launching a statewide tour beginning with UVA on February 21 to drum up support and hear from chapters across the state.
Primary update
Scottsville Supervisor Michael Pruitt ended his campaign to represent the 5th District in the House of Representatives and endorsed Democratic primary frontrunner Tom Perriello. “I joined this race knowing I’d face a hard, uphill battle. But with the newly publicized district maps, I now know that such a fight will do more harm than good,” said Pruitt in the February 11 announcement. “I know Tom Perriello will put in the work to stand up for rural, working Virginians in Congress.”
