| MCLEAN, VA – The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) District Council 20, the largest public sector union in the greater Washington, D.C. area today endorsed Terry McAuliffe for Governor. AFSCME District Council 20 represents more than 9,000 public private sector employees in the D.C. metro area, including transportation specialists, librarians, environmental services workers, social services workers, as well as water, sewer and sanitation workers. In its endorsement, AFSCME District Council 20 cited Terry’s unmatched record of delivering progress for Virginia workers and his bold vision to build a more equitable Commonwealth. Just last week, Terry released a bold new plan to invest in Virginia workers by raising wages, increasing worker protections, supporting caregivers and care workers, and creating seamless opportunities for higher education and training.
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will act boldly to push the Commonwealth forward and increase protections for workers. He will strengthen Virginia’s collective bargaining law and ensure that state employees have the opportunity to benefit from it, and he will accelerate Virginia’s minimum wage increase to $15/hour by 2024 to give hardworking Virginians a raise. Terry will also ensure all Virginians have access to paid sick days and family medical leave, and work to make child care more accessible and affordable for families across the Commonwealth.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created real challenges for workers and our families, and Virginians need a bold leader who will put workers first and bring our economy out of this pandemic stronger and more equitable than we started. We are proud to endorse Terry McAuliffe for governor because we know he will be that bold leader,” said Robert Hollingsworth, Executive Director of AFSCME District Council 20. “Terry has a strong record of standing up for workers and he has the bold vision to push Virginia forward. He knows this is not a time to tinker around the edges, but a time to go big and be bold. Virginians can count on him to deliver real progress as the next governor.”
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry created 200,000 good paying jobs, reduced unemployment from 5.7% to 3.3%, and raised personal income by 14%, all while standing up for and protecting workers in the Commonwealth. During his administration, he made history by signing the first bill in the nation to codify the Voluntary Protection Program, which encouraged companies to take safety measures above and beyond OSHA requirements. He supported pay raises for teachers and state workers, and vetoed bills that would have prohibited Project Labor Agreements in Virginia and prohibited localities from enacting living wage laws.
“Far too many hardworking Virginians are struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads as a result of this pandemic. For our Commonwealth to truly recover from this crisis, we’re going to have to think big and be bold and make sure all Virginians benefit from our recovery. I am so proud to have the support of AFSCME District Council 20, and I will work my heart out for these Virginians every day as governor,” said Terry McAuliffe. “Virginia made tremendous progress recently in finally passing a law allowing collective bargaining at the local level. Now we must build on that progress and make sure its benefits extend to state employees, get our minimum wage up to $15/hour by 2024, and rebuild our economy in a truly equitable way.”
Since launching his campaign, Terry has released big, bold plans to strengthen Virginia’s education system and dramatically increase teacher pay, help secure Virginia’s economic recovery from COVID-19, ensure Virginians have access to regular nutritious meals, address the broken, predatory system of prescription drug pricing, boldly confront the gun violence epidemic in the Commonwealth, reform our criminal justice system to create a more equitable Virginia, make Virginia the best state in the nation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Healthcare (STEM-H) and computer science education, and tackle the housing crisis in the Commonwealth. |
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