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What is a Union?
Unions happen when employees unite, pooling their strengths to amplify their voices and advocate for better conditions, dignified treatment and due process in the workplace. Working together, employees wield a formidable collective power. Through solidarity and collaboration, unions empower workers to negotiate effectively with employers, ensuring their rights and interests are upheld and respected.
Unions are democratic organizations and their leaders are elected by the membership.
The freedom to form and join a union is core to the U.N. Universal Declaration on Human Rights and is an “enabling” right—a fundamental right that ensures the ability to protect other rights.
What is Collective Bargaining?
Collective bargaining is the pivotal process wherein employees, empowered by their unions, engage in negotiations with their employers to establish the conditions of their employment. These negotiations encompass a broad spectrum of factors crucial to the well-being of workers, such as compensation, benefits, working hours, leave policies, and occupational health and safety standards, as well as initiatives aimed at achieving a harmonious balance between professional commitments and family responsibilities.
This process serves as a cornerstone for addressing multifaceted issues within workplaces, shaping their operational frameworks in a manner that upholds the rights and interests of the workforce. Moreover, collective bargaining stands out as the foremost mechanism for enhancing wage levels across the United States. Undoubtedly, it is through this collaborative bargaining approach that unionized workers experience elevated wage structures, improved benefits packages and a markedly safer working environment.
Why Do Fairfax County Public Schools Employees Now Have Collective Bargaining?
In May 2021, the commonwealth of Virginia passed a law the allows counties, cities and school boards to bargain collectively with employees if they so choose. Before that legislation passed, public employees in Virginia did not have the right to bargain.
FCPS invited employee associations to work as a collective bargaining workgroup and draft a collective bargaining resolution. On March 9, 2023, the school board approved the resolution, which outlines the three bargaining units authorized to participate in collective bargaining:
- Licensed instructional staff
- Operational employees
- Administrators and supervisors
The teachers' unions, collectively known as Fairfax Education Unions (FEU)—an alliance between the Fairfax Education Association (FEA) and the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT)—won representation right last school year for the teachers and other school employees.
If we win our election, we will be the third bargaining unit in the school district.
Fulll details on the history can be found here.
How Much Will It Cost to Be a Member of the Union?
The monthly membership investment for our union will be decided by the members themselves.
A team of school leaders is working on establishing our organization's operational rules, procedures and membership fees. We think membership fees should be equitable for all and that every member should have fair representation and a strong voice, regardless of job title.
To join the team, email TakeAction@TheSchoolLeader.org.
