The Virginia Worker

Former Amalgamated Transit Union Organizing Director Chris Townsend provides commentary on the progression of the labor movement in Virginia and what its hangups are When I moved to Northern Virginia 30 years ago from upstate New York I was well aware that “union density” – as academics call it – was going to be low.…

From the Editorial Board of the Virginia Worker on the recent US House and Senate votes approving Finland and Sweden’s admission into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization With recent votes in both the US House of Representatives and US Senate, Finland and Sweden are well on their way of being approved to join the North…

Christopher Sloce reports for The Virginia Worker from the strike at Maximus Call Center in Chester, Virginia The best way I can describe working in a call center is through two anecdotes: The first from when I was a recruiter for the biggest call center in Richmond. For two years, I interviewed upwards of five…

This report provided by a Virginia Worker staffer MARION, VA – This small Appalachian town whose population has been dropping since the 60s hosts one of its only unionized workforces located at General Dynamics Mission Systems, represented by UAW Local 2850.  The UAW also represents Volvo and Mack Truck workers, who manufacture semitrucks and parts…

The Communist League of Richmond wrote the following piece in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 uprising. In an era of a looming recession, anti-LGBTQ backlash, and ultimately a reactionary assault on reproductive rights, protest movements are both necessary and inevitable. They are republishing this piece with a new preface in hopes that it can…

This contribution is courtesy of Roanoke Peoples Power Network on the history of private policing stemming from one of the most notorious cop agencies – The Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency Virginia had no public local police force until 1932. Before then policing was almost totally a private affair. The protection of private property and reinforcing the…

The question of a workers’ party is crucial for the Virginia working class. Until there is a workers’ party the class will remain disorganized and impotent against the two ruling class parties in our state. To seek further clarity and grounds for unity across organizations, the Editorial Board of The Virginia Worker has recently surveyed…

After months of red tape a union election was finally set for Bridges Starbucks Workers in June, winning their election unanimously 14-0. The following is an interview with a Starbucks partner since their victory. The Virginia Worker: Firstly, congratulations on your sweeping victory with your election, it’s been several months since we last spoke. Last…

With the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by SCOTUS people are clamoring to fight back and ensure the right to abortion. But is this enough? Virginia Worker Editorial Board member Sal Rojo argues it’s not We’ve all heard the demand for a “right to an abortion.”  But the mere recognition of such a formal…

In April Movement Climbing Gym in Arlington, Virginia became the first ever climbing gym in the United States to become unionized. The following is an interview with union members Wendy and Slyvain on what led workers to unionize and the current situation in their campaign for collective bargaining The Virginia Worker: Could you provide some…