In May 2021, a change to state law came into effect that allows local governments and school boards to bargain collectively with their workers. Richmond City Council now has two bills to consider on this topic.
The Virginia Defender
Established in 2005 as The Richmond Defender, The Virginia Defender is a free community newspaper, published quarterly for the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. Print distribution is currently 12,000 and statewide. The online publication launched in Summer 2020.
Richmond joins growing national movement to unionize Starbucks
Workers at two Richmond-area Starbucks stores, one at 6980 Forest Hill Avenue in the city and the other at 11136 Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield County, have filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board for recognition of their union.
WORKERS’ POWER SHAKES UP RICHMOND’S DIVERSITY THRIFT
In November 2021, workers at Richmond’s Diversity Thrift used-goods store went on strike. After a whirlwind nine-day campaign, they won higher wages, staffing changes, and new store policies regarding sexual harassment.
NEWPORT NEWS SHIPYARD UNION TO VOTE ON NEW CONTRACT PROPOSAL
After voting down an earlier contract agreement late last year, members of United Steelworkers Local 8888 will be voting soon on a new deal with their employer, Newport News Shipbuilding. And this time the proposed contract may meet a key union demand: recognizing shipyard workers as “essential.”
PRISONERS, EX-PRISONERS & ADVOCATES SPEAK OUT FOR PRISON JUSTICE
Despite threatening weather forecasts, cold temperatures and the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 90 people still turned out Jan. 22 for the 5th Annual Virginia Prison Justice Rally.
The many faces of mental health behind the wire
An editorial on mental health by Shaka Shakur.
Book review: The Life & Legacy of Enslaved Virginian Emily Winfree
The book that Jan Meck and Virginia Refo have written is the first study of the life of Emily Winfree, a Virginia-born African woman who lived from 1834 to 1865 enslaved in Petersburg and Chesterfield Country and, after Emancipation, in Manchester until her death in 1919.
The Virginia Defender 