David Walrod, President of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss what the union called the most successful bargaining campaign in 25 years, resulting in nearly 27,500 workers being represented by a joint union alliance.
Walrod has been a special education teacher in Fairfax County and has served as president of the FCFT for the last three years. Fairfax County is home to two separate education unions: the FCFT and the Fairfax Education Association. Walrod explained how Virginia’s ban on public sector collective bargaining allowed both unions to thrive. Following a new law in 2021 that allowed for public sector collective bargaining in the state, the two unions worked together to form an alliance, the Fairfax Education Union (FEU), to collectively bargain as a single entity.
The FEU is split into two separate bargaining units, an operational unit and an educational unit. The operational unit is made up of about 11,000 support staff that help operate the schools. The educational unit is comprised of about 16,000 teachers between the two teacher unions. Walrod explained the history that led to the May 1 filing for a bargaining election for both units under the FEU alliance. On June 10, FEU won the election, making it the “most successful bargaining campaign in 25 years,” according to the union's press release.
Now that the FEU has won the election, the focus moves to negotiations. Walrod discussed a proposed pay cut that came from the County during the campaign and multiple pay freezes that have occurred in recent times. Several other issues have arisen during the campaign, including a change in health insurance carriers. Walrod explained that this change has led to several members losing their doctors.
For more information on the FEU, listen to what Walrod had to say in the episode above.