PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Loud applause met Portsmouth City Council members after they authorized 'collective bargaining' in a 4-2 vote in November 2023. However, in the months that have followed advocates for collective bargaining tell 13News Now little has been done since then.
"We are no closer to accepting an ordinance than we were back in November," said Kurt Detrick, the president of Portsmouth Fire Union.
Portsmouth became the first city in Hampton Roads to adopt collective bargaining in November 2023.
The right to collective bargaining was illegal across Virginia for decades, but the General Assembly overturned this law in 2020.
Now, it is up to individual city leaders to determine whether or not to allow city employees the right to unionize and negotiate working conditions such as pay, benefits, paid time off and more.
13News Now takes a closer look at what collective bargaining efforts look like across Portsmouth, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
A 4-2 vote in November pushed collective bargaining forward in Portsmouth... but little progress has been made
An ordinance listing out the recommendations of firefighters and paramedics sits on Detrick's desk. It has remained there for months, as he said Portsmouth City Council members have made no moves to either approve or deny the request.
"I would be happy if they even just looked at it," said Detrick. "That at least would be some movement."
The wait comes after a fiery Portsmouth City Council meeting in November where city leaders questioned the benefits of allowing collective bargaining for city employees.
Portsmouth Chief of Police Stephen Jenkins, Portsmouth Fire Battalion Chief Sean Teartt and Interim City Manager Mimi Terry all spoke about how collective bargaining could affect department operations and increase costs for taxpayers.
“I hope the citizens understand what this is going to mean for them. We are about to go through budget deliberations, what is it going to cost the city?” said Terry.
Detrick said he speaks for the Portsmouth Fire Union when he says they have no intention to bankrupt the city. Instead, Detrick said collective bargaining would outline the exact expectations both city leaders and city employees should have for each other.
"We are now on our sixth different city manager; and with every new person who gets the position, the verbal agreement between us and the city changes," said Detrick. "We then have to restart back at square one, when we get someone new, and we are already miles down the road from where we should have been."
Mayor Shannon Glover and Councilman Dr. Mark Whitaker both voted against collective bargaining. Glover questioned Detrick's motives for collective bargaining, citing various efforts made by the city to support firefighters and paramedics.
"What is it that you don't already have?" said Mayor Glover. "What exactly could collective bargaining give you today, that you are not already getting?"
Detrick said the city could start with more medic units.
"We are supposed to have eight; right now we have five," said Detrick. "That might not sound like a big difference, but when we don't have a unit available then we have to rely on other cities. That might be a 15-20 minute wait if you call 911."
According to Detrick, there are also concerns with competitive pay for firefighters and paramedics as well as pension plans. Detrick said his organization hopes to model the success seen in Virginia cities like Alexandria and Arlington.
13News Now reached out to Mayor Glover and Terry, but they both declined to comment.
Collective bargaining efforts continue in Norfolk despite pushback from City Council
In a stark difference to the applause in Portsmouth, Norfolk City Council was met with boos after city leaders voted against collective bargaining in a 5-3 move in December 2023.
Norfolk's Southern States Police Benevolent Association pushed for collective bargaining for the police union in the Mermaid City. City leaders decided against collective bargaining, again citing extreme costs to the city as the reason.
"We just can't afford to seems to be the go-to answer," said Helen Pryor, a Norfolk elementary school teacher and longtime advocate for collective bargaining. "I would say now, you can't afford not to have collective bargaining at this point."
Pryor said she was disappointed in the decision but unsurprised. For years, she said working conditions for teachers and educators have grown increasingly hostile and fewer people are entering the profession.
She said it's only a matter of time before she believes city and state leaders will be forced to the bargaining table.
"Education is the backbone of this country, and if you don't provide the resources that teachers have been pleading for, no one is going to do the job," said Pryor. "It's already a labor of love kind of job. But at the rate we are going all of the educators are going to be burnt out."
Despite not approving collective bargaining, Norfolk city leaders did compromise as they reinforced the previously established Employee Relations Committee (ERC) process. The ordinance includes developing committees to represent fire, police, and operations department employees like Public Works and Utilities, and general city employees.
"The emphasis on strengthening employee relations includes actively encouraging employee engagement and fostering a culture of active participation to include the ability to have a union or professional association membership dues automatically deducted from their paychecks if so desired," according to a release from the city.
It's a similar method that leaders in Virginia Beach could now be considering.
How will Virginia Beach city leaders vote on collective bargaining?
City leaders have 120 days to decide what to do with a recent petition submitted by Virginia Beach's fire union, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). City council members could adopt the proposed ordinance, reject the measure or pursue other alternative options like Norfolk.
"Let's find out what the facts are first," said Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer. "We want to know what we are dealing with before we make any kind of a decision here."
In 2023, Mayor Dyer directed the creation of a task force dedicated to making recommendations about collective bargaining, and what the city could offer. The task force estimated that it could cost the city upwards of $14 million.
The request by IAFF was filed on Feb. 1. Virginia Beach City Council has until May 31, 2024, to make a decision.