President of the Prince William Education Association, Maggie Hansford, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the recent collective bargaining agreement that helped to create the largest public sector union in Virginia’s history. Hansford also discussed the difficulties they faced and the preparation for contract negotiations.
In May of 2020, Virginia overturned their ban on organizing in the public sector. This paved the way for the PWEA to hold a union election, after getting approval, to form the largest public sector union in Virginia’s history. The PWEA is made up of over 3,000 educational workers including teachers, bus drivers and other staff members within the education sector.
It was a long road for PWEA and Hansford. The process began when a few members got together and came up with a plan to fight for the greater good for educators in the area. This evolved into recruiting events that consistently grew the membership. However, with no generational unionism in Virginia, Hansford and her team had to not only convince educators to participate in the unions, they had to educate them on the purpose and protections unions provide.
Contract negotiation preparations have begun for Hansford and the negotiation team. The first order of business is to ensure an open bargaining table, meaning open communication between the negotiators and members, along with no Non-Disclosure Agreements to prevent communication with outside parties. It is the PWEA’s goal that their members should be able to witness the development of their first contract and provide feedback on the process.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.