Richmond’s experience has made one thing clear: collective bargaining is an asset to our City, our workforce, and the residents we serve. It strengthens our ability to recruit, retain, and support the people who deliver essential services every day. As the Commonwealth considers the future of public sector collective bargaining, we believe it is important to share Richmond’s experience and reaffirm our commitment to this proven tool. As shared in a statement sent to media and our labor partners on April 28, 2026, we continue to affirm our commitment to collective bargaining and are proud of the progress collective bargaining has brought. We await the Governor’s action and remain committed to collective bargaining as a tool that helps us to build a thriving Richmond.  

See below for statement sent April 28, 2026:

Richmond officially enacted collective bargaining in 2022, making the City one of the first localities to use the authority granted by the Commonwealth allowing local public sector workers to unionize and collectively bargain. Simply put, we proudly support organized labor in Richmond.  

Legislation passed this General Assembly session would expand public sector collective bargaining across the Commonwealth. The City, together with our partners in labor, is uniquely positioned to anticipate how changes to state code will impact existing collective bargaining agreements, City operations, and the services we provide to residents.   

Drawing on our early experience and partnership with labor, we offered the Governor’s staff and the legislation’s patrons our observations for consideration. Now that the state legislative process has moved forward, our focus is on strong and effective implementation.  

Collective bargaining is a valuable tool that strengthens our City services by investing in our most valuable resource – our people. We remain committed to our workforce and to successful implementation of this new statewide legislation.