FCPS School Board Approves Collective Bargaining

At their March 9, 2023, meeting, the Fairfax County School Board voted to approve a collective bargaining resolution. Through collective bargaining an exclusive representative (often called a union or association) will be able to represent a group of employees (a bargaining unit) when negotiating over terms and conditions of employment. FCPS believes that collective bargaining will ensure that staff feel seen, heard, and supported, and position FCPS as an employer of choice.

In 2021, the Virginia General Assembly approved collective bargaining for public sector employees. Following that, the Fairfax County School Board invited all 17 certified employee associations in FCPS to work with leadership toward the development of a Resolution. 

The resolution is the first step which describes how the process will be managed and governed. The group worked for more than 18 months to draft the resolution, to which they agreed by consensus, and presented the document to the School Board on December 15, 2022.

The resolution outlines the three bargaining units eligible to engage in collective bargaining.

The bargaining units are:

• Licensed instructional staff.
• Operational employees.
• Administrators, and supervisors.

With the approval of the resolution, FCPS will move toward the next stage of the process: certification of organizations seeking to become exclusive representatives of the bargaining units. Certified groups who win elections will be able to bargain for wages, benefits, and working conditions with FCPS.

In the next few weeks, FCPS will secure a Labor Relations Administrator (LRA) who will manage the certification and election processes. The LRA is a neutral party retained to ensure fairness and accuracy throughout the different processes. 

More information about collective bargaining in FCPS is available online.