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Gov. Abigail Spanberger has vetoed legislation from two Fairfax County lawmakers that would have significantly expanded collective bargaining rights for Virginia’s public employees.
SB 378 and HB 1263, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell and Del. Kathy Tran, would have repealed bans on collective bargaining and required state and local governments to negotiate labor contracts when public employees form unions.
Surovell said Wednesday that Spanberger had notified him of her planned veto. The governor made the decision official Thursday evening, saying she supports collective bargaining for public workers but believed the legislation required changes.
Spanberger said her proposed amendments would have preserved the bills’ goal while giving public employers more flexibility to account for existing budget schedules and procedures.
Union members protested the anticipated veto Wednesday outside the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Merrifield, where Spanberger was ceremonially signing health care legislation. Asked about the decision, she said she remained committed to enacting collective bargaining legislation but wanted to “get it right.”
The General Assembly approved the measures in March. They would have expanded a 2020 Virginia law that allowed localities to authorize collective bargaining with public employees for the first time since 1977.
Fairfax County subsequently adopted collective bargaining and approved contracts covering general county employees, police officers and firefighters. Firefighters, teachers and other public workers recently rallied outside the Fairfax County Government Center to urge Spanberger to sign the statewide legislation.
Unions condemn the veto
Labor organizations expressed disappointment with Spanberger, whose 2025 gubernatorial campaign they had supported.
The Virginia Public Sector Labor Coalition called collective bargaining foundational to other workplace rights and said the veto denied roughly half a million public workers an opportunity to negotiate for higher wages, affordable health care and safer workplaces.
The Virginia Professional Fire Fighters criticized the decision during a Thursday news conference in Richmond.
Union president Robert Bragg III said the General Assembly had produced a strong bill through negotiation and compromise that could have improved the lives of more than 500,000 blue-collar workers. He also accused Spanberger of failing to support firefighters who had counted on her.
The Virginia AFL-CIO said the proposal was not radical and would simply have allowed unionized public employees to negotiate over compensation, benefits and working conditions. The organization described the veto as a betrayal of teachers, firefighters, home-care workers, state employees and other public servants who had fought for a role in workplace decisions.
Lawmakers rejected Spanberger’s revisions
Spanberger’s concerns became public in April when she returned a substitute version of the legislation to the General Assembly. Lawmakers rejected her changes during a reconvened session.
Some local governments had opposed the original measures. The Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League argued that the legislation would interfere with local decision-making.
Spanberger’s substitute would have allowed localities greater flexibility in working with the Public Employee Relations Board and clarified that labor agreements remained subject to approval by the local governments controlling their budgets. It also would have delayed bargaining until 2030 for local employees who did not already have an agreement.
Unions objected to placing worker protections under the Public Employee Relations Board, arguing that a future governor opposed to collective bargaining could influence the process through appointments to the board.
After lawmakers rejected Spanberger’s amendments, she could sign the original legislation, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature. She chose the veto as a May 23 deadline approached for final action on legislation passed during the 2026 session.