Coming Together in Prince William: Collective Bargaining Advances Equity and Strengthens Families

Prince William County is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It allows its residents to access city-like amenities and culture while remaining close to natural wonders like the Potomac River and the Blue Ridge Mountains. A key member of the outer Northern Virginia region, Prince William County is grappling with the opportunities, changes, and challenges caused by its impressive population growth over the last decade.

Prince William County’s public employees play a critical role in advancing the county’s priorities. They must receive fair wages and be empowered in their roles in order to deliver high-quality public services to a rapidly changing community. The ability to bargain collectively will ensure public service employees more equitable working conditions, improve worker retention, and improve public services for all workers and residents of Prince William County.

Local government employees in Virginia are typically paid 29.9% less than their private-sector counterparts with similar education, and benefits do little to make up for these pay penalties. But states where public employees are allowed some sort of permission to collectively bargain have smaller pay penalties. Furthermore, unions are particularly important for raising pay for those who have historically been marginalized and underpaid compared to their levels of experience and education. 

For public employees, one of the benefits of unions is increased pay to levels that are closer to that which could be obtained in the private sector. In states with a policy like Virginia’s new law that allows – but does not require – localities to permit employees to collectively bargain, the average pay gap for local employees compared to their private-sector peers is 16.6%. The pay gap in states where collective bargaining rights for local employees are protected by the state is 10.5%.⁶ Overall, public-sector collective bargaining tends to boost pay by 5% to 8%.⁷ 

Additionally, the fair and clear standards provided by unionization particularly support Black and Latinx workers. In fact, anti-union laws throughout the south were passed using explicit appeals to racist ideas. Past discrimination and ongoing barriers mean Black workers, Latinx workers, and women of all races are still typically paid less than white men with the same level of education and experience in both public- and private-sector employment. 

Collective bargaining helps to fix this where allowed. In states where public employers are required to bargain, Black and Hispanic workers earn more in local government than in the private sector, where they face large racial pay gaps. In states where collective bargaining is permitted but not required, Black and Hispanic workers are paid about the same in both sectors. Where public-sector collective bargaining is banned, Black and Hispanic workers are paid even less in local government jobs than in the private sector, despite the large racial pay penalties they face in the private sector. And, as noted above, women are the majority of county general services employees. Thus, collective bargaining can help address the broader societal problem of women and people of color being paid less than their peers with similar levels of educational attainment and experience, while also particularly boosting wages for Black and Hispanic workers, helping attract more to local public service jobs.

The positive impact of unions is not limited to pay and benefits. Collective bargaining provides a way for represented workers to formally express their ideas for improving their workflow and workplaces. This can improve communication and a sense of belonging. Quantitative comparison of union members and non-union members finds that having the experience of collective bargaining and union representation in the workplace even makes people — particularly younger people and those with less formal education — more likely to participate in other systems of democratic governance such as voting.⁸

“We advocate hard for the well-being of our clients, because they are far more likely to not receive treatment because the medical community doesn’t view them basically as human. We’ve been fighting that fight even before the pandemic; the pandemic just exacerbated it. We’re just managing and trying to keep it from exploding. People are getting burnt out and people need a break. This is why we need collective bargaining and a union. Collective bargaining will help us to address high turnover and low staff levels. We need a voice on the job so we can speak out and demand the changes and resources we need to keep doing the work safely. When we are asked to take an extra five cases, we should have a say in how to best handle the heavy workload. Listen to our suggestions instead of constantly saying ‘Oh no, we can’t do that.’ Otherwise, people will keep leaving and the problems will get much worse.”

KERENSA GREEN-SUMERS | CLINICAL SERVICES CASEWORKER, DEVELOPMENTAL/INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY SERVICES, COMMUNITY SERVICE BOARD

As one of the fastest-growing and most diverse counties in the commonwealth, Prince William County faces just as many opportunities for growth as it does challenges in the coming decades. The county’s priorities and goals for its communities are impossible to achieve without the contributions of public employees. Far too many of these public service employees are underpaid and lack a democratic voice in their workplace. This dynamic only serves to exacerbate already existing unfair pay inequities. Moreover, the turnover rates caused by this same dynamic remain high and costly.

Collective bargaining has been shown to increase wages, improve working conditions, and support worker retention. When workers are empowered in this way, public services and democratic participation also stand to greatly benefit. Prince William County public employees must be afforded the ability to bargain collectively so that the county can ensure a prosperous and equitable future for all.