Essential Loudoun County workers are celebrating a hard-fought victory: a real seat at the bargaining table to strengthen their pay, benefits, working conditions, and the public services they provide to the entire community. On December 7, 2021, after multiple ordinance drafts and working sessions, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 6-2-1 to pass a final ordinance that gives around 2,400 county employees collective bargaining rights, ensuring that frontline county workers have the rights they need to provide for their families and the community. We applaud the Board members who listened to essential workers and passed this ordinance.

Union members in SEIU Virginia 512 have pushed against all odds to get to this moment, successfully advocating to repeal the 44-year ban on public sector collective bargaining in May, pushing the Virginia from dead last to 23rd place in the Oxfam America’s List of Best and Worst States to Work In, and now, winning an ordinance that will transform the lives of public service workers in Loudoun County and beyond. Over a month ago, on October 19th, 2021, SEIU Virginia 512 members in neighboring Fairfax County won the strongest collective bargaining ordinance in Virginia thus far. Now, Loudoun County union members and community supporters have secured a victory of their own.

“Make no mistake: tonight’s victory is the result of decades of fearless and tireless organizing led by working people in Loudoun County,” said Julius Reynolds, Loudoun Chapter Chair of SEIU Virginia 512 said. “Tonight, the essential workers of Loudoun County made history. It’s just the beginning -- the first page of a new chapter. We’re going to keep building our power and mobilizing. We’re going to transform these new rights into a strong union contract, and we’re going to fight for a Loudoun County and a Commonwealth that truly serves working families.”

“Union members have been organizing, building power, and winning for working people across the Commonwealth,” said David Broder, SEIU Virginia 512 president. “Today, the door to a Loudoun that works for everyone opens just a little bit wider, as county workers finally win the right to advocate for themselves and the families they serve through collective bargaining. Union members understand that this is just the beginning. We’re going to keep building power so that we can throw that door wide open and ensure that every county and city worker, every working Virginian, has the right to join a union and collectively bargain for a brighter future. It’s time for every locality in Virginia to provide essential workers a real seat at the table.”

Decades of our advocacy and organizing have led to this. Congratulations, union family! This is a huge victory. We've made history.

• We were featured in DCist and Loudoun Times!
• Our victory was celebrated all over social media! Like and share our Tweet, Instagram, and Facebook post!

This is a huge win! Now it’s time to take the next step by joining our union, SEIU Virginia 512, today. We need to move quickly to build our strength in numbers because that’s how we activate our power to win better pay and benefits. The next step is becoming a member and mobilizing your coworkers to join us so we can build a strong union and negotiate for the improvements we need for our jobs and the communities we serve.

We've cracked open the door to a Loudoun that better serves ALL working families. While our hard work has spanned decades, a LOT went into the final weeks leading up to the vote. Dozens of us rallied. We bravely shared our stories at public hearings. We made phone calls, sent emails, activated community allies, and so much more.

Congratulations again, union family! When we fight, we win. Now, it's time to grow our union so we can turn these new collective bargaining rights into a real seat at the table and a binding contract. Join us today!