The AFL-CIO is not endorsing Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor. The decision comes in the wake of her announcement that she opposes efforts to overturn Virginia's so-called "right to work" law.
"We call it the right to work for less because frankly those are laws that are in southern states for the most part that basically says workers have the right to be represented by a union, but they don't have to pay union dues, which basically weakens unions," says Jaime Contreras, executive vice president for SEIU 32BJ. "And part of the reason unions don't organize in the south is because laws like this exist."
His union has endorsed Spanberger. And local unions that are a part of AFL-CIO are not prohibited from endorsing Spanberger, who says she would be open to some kind of a reform. But Northern Virginia Labor Federation president Virginia Diamond says that's a nonstarter.
"There is no such thing as reforming the right to work in this country. We have right-to-work states, and we have states that support the right to engage in collective bargaining," says Diamond. "So, it has to be repealed fully, and there's nothing else to discuss in that regard."
The decision to take no position on Spanberger came over the weekend at an AFL-CIO convention after union leaders interviewed both candidates. Members of the labor group also decided to make no endorsement for Winsome Earle-Sears, actively discouraging local unions from supporting the Republican candidate for governor.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
