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Teachers and residents urge Newport News council to schedule vote on collective bargaining for city workers
Summary
Teachers, union representatives and residents urged the council to schedule a vote on public-sector collective bargaining rights for city workers and Newport News public-school staff, linking the request to worker protections, pay and student outcomes.
During the public-comment portion of the Jan. 13 meeting, several educators and residents urged the Newport News City Council to schedule a vote on collective bargaining for city employees and Newport News Public Schools staff.
Mary Voss, a Newport News teacher and member of the Newport News Education Association, asked the council to schedule a vote "as soon as possible," framed collective bargaining as a labor and civil-rights issue, and urged the council to act in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. "City council should schedule a vote on this vital labor right as soon as possible," she said.
Christine Parker Colon, a Newport News Public Schools teacher, described how collective bargaining allows workers to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions and argued that the absence of bargaining rights contributes to burnout, low morale and high turnover among school staff. David Brackman, a resident, also spoke in support of the educators' Red for Ed campaign and urged council action.
Council members thanked the speakers and said they would continue discussing the issue; one council member noted finance-committee processes for ordinance consideration and the manager noted the finance committee meeting schedule as part of follow-up. No ordinance or vote was taken on Jan. 13; speakers explicitly requested the council put a vote on the agenda and set a timetable.
