Yes, there needs to be a slavery/slave trade museum or interpretive center in Shockoe Bottom, but it doesn’t need to be a $220 million legacy project for people who have played a very mixed role in the ongoing struggle to reclaim and properly memorialize what once was the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade.
FIRST IN STATE, RICHMOND TEACHERS WIN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS!
On Dec. 6, Richmond became the first locality in Virginia to approve collective bargaining for its teachers and other public school employees.
NEW ONLINE JOURNAL
The Coalition for Justice of Blacksburg, a co-founder of the Virginia Prison Justice Network, is working with the Virginia Tech Center for Humanities to create an online journal of art, writing, spoken word and reflections on prison life.
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS TWO PUBLIC SECTOR BARGAINING ORDINANCES FOR CITY WORKERS
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.
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.”
The Virginia Defender 