Labor issues may end up being a big campaign issue in the statewide elections this year. It's a question that has vexed Democrats for years.
Virginia Democrats are responsible for passing the so-called Right-to-Work law in 1947, when Democrats who ran the General Assembly at the time sent the bill to Governor Bill Tuck, the Democrat who signed it. Here’s archive audio of Governor Tuck making the case to lawmakers to pass the bill restricting how unions can operate in Virginia.
“The right to work bill is designed to preserve the liberty of individual workers," Tuck said at the time. "It would ensure that his right to earn a livelihood for himself and his family would not be dependent upon the whims of an arbitrary, unscrupulous or despotic union leadership.”
Now, almost 80 years later, all the Democrats running for lieutenant governor are in favor of ditching the Right-to-Work Law. John Milliken at George Mason University’s Schar School says this is a shift for Democrats who have been reluctant to be on the record one way or the other.
“And that has been what Democrats have done going back to the mid-1960s, anywhere from assuring voters they would not seek to repeal Virginia’s right to work law to trying to not answer the question directly," Milliken says. "Democrats have tried to straddle the issue.”
Republicans, on the other hand, are united in their support for the right-to-work law, saying it helps Virginia’s economy. And they are eager to use the issue on the campaign trail to brand Democrats as being pro-labor and anti-business.
In a written statement, former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger did not commit to repealing the Right to Work Law. Here is the entire statement from her campaign to Reporter Michael Pope:
“Abigail Spanberger believes that Virginians deserve leaders who are not afraid to stand up for workers and believe in creating jobs, not chaos. Abigail has met with both Virginia labor organizations and Virginia business groups to hear their priorities. As Governor, she will remain focused on getting things done for Virginia’s working families and tackling the ongoing challenges facing Virginia’s workforce and economy.”
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
