City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 17, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
JOANNA C. ANDERSON, CITY ATTORNEY /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Drafting of Public Employee Collective Bargaining Ordinance.
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ISSUE: Whether or not to consider adopting a public employee collective bargaining ordinance for the City of Alexandria.
RECOMMENDATION: Direct the City Manager and the City Attorney to draft a proposed City ordinance that would authorize public employee collective bargaining for the City of Alexandria government, and bring that draft ordinance forward for City Council consideration and adoption by December 31, 2020.
BACKGROUND: While public employee collective bargaining has long been in place since its first establishment in the State of Wisconsin in 1963, and has expanded in some way, shape or form to nearly every state in the United States, the Commonwealth of Virginia has not allowed local government collective bargaining for some time. Virginia was one of only three states that did not allow any form of collective bargaining. About four decades ago, some Virginia local governments, including the City of Alexandria, did engage in collective bargaining and had agreements in place with employee organizations, but subsequent State law changes voided those collective bargaining processes. That left only meet and confer processes in place. That prohibition of collective bargaining situation has now changed.
During the recent General Assembly session, new legislation was adopted that authorized collective bargaining at the local government level as a local option, if a local government enacted an ordinance or resolution permitting collective bargaining. While this State legislation does not become effective until May 1, 2021 (delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the creation of an ordinan...
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