Now that Virginia has turned solidly blue, pro-union Democrats are wasting no time calling for forced union fees.
Even before the votes had been tallied, Democrat candidates had already supported removing Virginia’s Right-to-Work law—which forbids workers from being fired due to non-payment of union fees.
“Democratic candidates running for Virginia’s House of Delegates overwhelmingly oppose the state’s right-to-work laws while Republicans want to maintain it, according to a survey conducted by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce,” reported the Center Square.
Now that the elections are over and the Democrats are in control, Democrats are being urged to take action quickly and eliminate Virginia’s Right-to-Work law.
“Virginia Democrats must put repealing these statutes at the top of their to-do list,” wrote the Intelligencer‘s Eric Levitz on Wednesday.
“Unlike some other progressive goals,” Levtiz stated, “liberating the union movement from the shackles of reactionary laws requires little technocratic planning.”
For his part, Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam is somewhat non-committal, reports the Washington Post.
“Northam was evasive when asked if he would like to repeal the state’s right-to-work law, which prohibits a requirement that private-sector workers join a labor union. Repealing that law would allow employers to require union participation as a condition of employment.”
“Asked whether he would consider a repeal, he said: ‘That’s a hypothetical question. I deal with what’s put on my desk. But what I would say is that, while we’re the Number One state in the country in which to do business, I want to do everything that I can to support our workers as well.'”
Politically, ending Right-to-Work may not be a viable option for Northam at present.
In fact, with their control of the House of Representatives and depending on the outcome of the 2020 election, if the Democrats win the White House as well as the Senate and pass the “PRO Act,” Washington may end Right-to-Work nationally–thus, taking the heat off of Northam.
Whether or not Democrat legislators in Virginia can wait that long, however, remains to be seen.
