For the first time in more than 40 years, public-sector employees in Virginia, including teachers, gained the right to collectively bargain, thanks to new legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2020. Since the law went into effect in May of last year, several counties and cities across the state have begun the process of empowering school employees to bargain on their behalf. And in early December, the Richmond School Board became the first in Virginia to approve a resolution allowing teachers to unionize.
But in many places, especially suburban counties such as Chesterfield, unionization is an uphill battle. A majority of school employees must first agree to union representation, which must then be approved by the local school board. And labor unions come with political baggage — Republicans and more moderate Democrats often view collective bargaining as a hindrance to the free market.
Christine Melendez, president of the Chesterfield Education Association, says allowing teachers to unionize will improve classroom instruction. (Photo by Monica Escamilla)
It’s really about bringing school employees to the table and giving teachers a voice, says Christine Melendez, a Chesterfield County Spanish teacher who currently serves as president of the Chesterfield Education Association.
We spoke with Melendez about the obstacles ahead.
Richmond magazine: How do you overcome the notion that the exclusive aim of collective bargaining is to raise teacher pay?
Christine Melendez: A lot of our school boards are being told that because they don’t have taxing authority, they shouldn’t be given the right to collectively bargain, because technically they have no say in the [amount] of money they get from the county or city. But Chesterfield County Public School teachers, in the spring of 2019, before we went out for COVID, we were able to convince the Board of Supervisors to not only do a compensation analysis and comparison of our teacher [pay] versus teachers in counties of similar size, but to see that we were unfairly paid compared to counties around us. And they implemented the first step of the pay study and have publicly stated they will implement the second step next budget season. And we did all of that without collective bargaining.
All we want is specific job duties, titles, roles and responsibilities delineated in contracts, so each party is clear as to who is responsible for performing the duties that are listed on the contract.
RM: Should teachers unions also have a say on what duties are included in teacher contracts?
Melendez: Absolutely. So, if we were able to secure the resolution to collectively bargain, we would already have a contract action team in place. Dues-paying members would be the ones to write up the contract. Before it gets presented to the School Board, all members have the opportunity vote on [contract wording].
RM: You’ve argued that giving teachers unions the right to bargain on behalf of educators will ultimately improve classroom instruction. How?
Melendez: When you can refer to written statements or a contract to say, “Yes, I am supposed to be doing this, and I’m going to be held responsible and liable for doing this,” then it’s easier for an employee to effectively perform those duties.
RM: So far, Richmond Public Schools is the only local school district to win approval to collectively bargain. Where is Chesterfield in the process?
Melendez: The Chesterfield Education Association is currently at the very beginning stages of ensuring that we have the structure and the support of not just members, but employees, to even pursue a collective bargaining resolution.
RM: How has the reception of collective bargaining been by the Chesterfield County School Board?
Melendez: We don’t have very strong support, or at least openly vocal support from most of our school board members.
RM: Critical race theory, transgender student rights and parental involvement in education have recently dominated the political discussion. How do you shift the focus to teachers?
Melendez: I would really love for those of us who [have] a better understanding of what critical race theory really is, or what the needs of the transgender community really are, to focus on reeducating the public, especially focusing on those who still support public schools, [and] spread real information and not misinformation.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
