Senate Republicans intend to introduce a law to enshrine the ‘right to work’ in Virginia constitution

Senate Republicans intend to introduce a law to enshrine the ‘right to work’ in Virginia constitution

Senate Republicans announced Tuesday that they are attempting to amend the Virginia constitution in order to codify Virginia’s “right-towork” law.

Virginia passed the law in 1947, which says that workers don’t have to pay dues for unions simply because they work in a unionized workplace.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears, who was present at the press conference with Republicans, argued against the characterization that the law is anti-union, but instead said it is against “forced unionization”. Earle Sears is currently running for governor against former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger. Spanberger decided not to run for re-election in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District 2024, instead running for the governorship.

Mark Obenshain of Rockingham County said that there have been many attempts to repeal this law over the last 78 years. In 2016, voters rejected a Republican-sponsored amendment to the state constitution that would have enshrined the law.