Firefighters’ union censures Virginia governor

(The Center Square) – A national firefighters union has censured Virginia’s governor over her veto of legislation that would have expanded collective bargaining rights for public employees.

Delegates to the International Association of Fire Fighters voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the censure during the union’s convention in Arlington, Texas. The resolution was submitted by the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters, which represents more than 11,000 firefighters, emergency medical workers and 911 communications officers across the Commonwealth.

The dispute centers on House Bill 1263 and Senate Bill 378, which passed the General Assembly earlier this year and would have created a statewide collective bargaining system covering many state and local public employees.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger supported expanding collective bargaining but sought changes to the legislation before vetoing it in May.

Her amendments would have delayed implementation of the new system for local governments until Jan. 1, 2030, while ma...