Virginia Education Association Celebrates Historic Legislative Session, Applauds General Assembly Passage of Statewide Collective Bargaining Bill
March 16, 2026
March 16, 2026
RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Education Association (VEA) celebrates the conclusion of the 2026 regular session of the General Assembly as one of the most successful legislative sessions for educators and school staff in recent memory, highlighted by the historic passage of landmark legislation that will make the possibility of collectively bargained contracts for educators and nearly all public employees throughout the Commonwealth a reality for the first time in more than 70 years. Virginia is the first state in the South to win back collective bargaining rights for public sector employees. The legislation now heads to Governor Abigail Spanberger’s desk to sign. The General Assembly adjourned on Saturday, March 14, 2026, and will return on April 22 for its reconvened session and April 23 for its special session to finalize the state budget.
With 15 VEA-initiated bills on track to become law, this session delivered major progress on workplace rights, educator voice, and policies to strengthen Virginia’s public schools. Most notably, lawmakers gave final approval to SB 378 and HB 1263, creating a statewide framework for collective bargaining for public employees in Virginia. The final conference report preserves inclusion of K-12 employees, adds back home care providers, and includes higher education service employees, while directing state officials to study options and recommendations for implementing collective bargaining rights for higher education employees not covered by the bill’s service-employee provision. The bill also directs the Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) to begin promulgating regulations before the new Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) fully takes over that role, leaving the possibility of employee organizations to seek certification and begin collective bargaining before July 1, 2028.
“Virginia educators and school staff made history this session,” said VEA President Carol Bauer. “The General Assembly’s passage of collective bargaining legislation is a transformational victory for working people across the Commonwealth and a powerful affirmation that public employees deserve a real voice on the job. For VEA members, this moment is especially meaningful because our K-12 educators and school support staff were included throughout this process, and because this final agreement reflects important improvements secured through persistent advocacy right up until the final hours of session.”
Bauer continued: “We are also proud that this was one of the strongest legislative sessions for VEA in recent history, with 15 VEA-initiated bills moving toward the governor’s desk. That progress happened because educators across Virginia spoke up, organized, testified, and made clear that the people who work in our schools must be heard. We urge Governor Spanberger to sign this historic collective bargaining bill into law and continue moving Virginia forward.”
While VEA is celebrating the close of the regular session, the union emphasized that critical work remains in the weeks ahead. Lawmakers did not finalize a new state budget before adjournment and are expected to return for a special session on April 23 to complete budget negotiations, with major disagreements still unresolved over how to raise revenue, including proposals related to data centers and their tax treatment. At stake in budget negotiations is the size of educator and school staff raises over the next two school years.
“Now we must finish the job,” Bauer said. “Virginia’s educators and school support staff need a strong final budget that includes a minimum of a 3% pay raise and meaningful investments in our public schools. As the General Assembly returns next month, VEA will keep fighting for the resources our students need, the respect educators and staff deserve, and a budget that reflects Virginia’s values.”
The Virginia Education Association thanked its members, local leaders, lobby team, and coalition partners for their advocacy throughout the session and pledged to remain fully engaged through reconvened and special sessions.
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Members of the Virginia Education Association, the largest union in the Commonwealth, believe every child deserves a great public school. Find out more at www.veanea.org.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers in Virginia earn 67 cents on the dollar compared to other (non-teacher) college-educated workers. Virginia’s teacher wage penalty is the worst in the nation.
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