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Today’s Sponsor: Clean Virginia
Supporting affordable, clean energy and a government that works for all of us. Visit www.cleanvirginia.org to learn more.
SEIU Virginia 512
SEIU Virginia 512 members are fighting to pass public sector collective bargaining (HB 1263 and SB 378) so the home care jobs needed to care for Virginia’s aging parents, grandparents and people with disabilities are good union jobs.
Our Care Agenda lays out a strong vision for strengthening home care across Virginia. We’re calling for fair wages and basic benefits, greater access to professional training and career development, and support for the essential services that allow our loved ones to live with dignity and independence at home, rather than expensive facilities.
Together, we’re calling for greater investment in the care Virginia families need, now and in the future. Click here to show your support for quality care and quality jobs.
Referendum to proceed
The Virginia Supreme Court is allowing the referendum to proceed while it hears arguments in the case.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-VA04, announced her endorsement of Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney Shannon Taylor.
“I enthusiastically endorse Shannon Taylor for Congress. Shannon’s impressive career demonstrates her commitment to public service and her ability to get results,” McClellan said. “She will be a strong, thoughtful partner in Congress, focused on lowering costs, protecting people’s rights, and delivering for Virginia families. I look forward to supporting her campaign and to having her as a colleague in Washington.”
Taylor is currently running in VA-01, where GOP Rep. Rob Wittman is the incumbent. But the Democrats in the General Assembly are trying to redraw the district lines, and if they succeed, Taylor has said she would run in VA-05 — likely against Rep. John McGuire.
Taylor has also earned the endorsement of Governor Spanberger, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, former Governor Ralph Northam, Rep. Eugene Vindman (VA-07), Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) and Rep. James Walkinshaw (VA-11).
Democrats push farm worker minimum wage bill for third year
By Sara Matthews, Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. -- Lawmakers will vote on a House bill to extend minimum wage requirements to farm workers in the state, an effort that has been vetoed twice since 2024.
Del. Adele McClure, D-Arlington, introduced House Bill 20 to extend the minimum wage to the currently exempt farm workers, employees and certain temporary foreign workers.
This marks McClure’s third year carrying the legislation, which advanced on party lines twice before being vetoed by former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Opponents of the measure had a misconception around the impact it would have on farms and farmers, McClure said. She added that tariffs could have a higher cost.
“This bill is supposed to target the bad actors that are paying some of the lowest wages to some of the hardest workers who can’t even afford to put the food that they harvest on their own table,” McClure said. “This would ensure that they could afford to work and support their families and themselves.”
Many farmers pay their workers well above the state minimum wage, according to McClure. Her bill targets large farms that pay their workers less.
“I’ve spoken with a vast amount of farmers, large and small, and a lot of small farmers support this bill because they wouldn’t dream of paying anything below $15 an hour,” McClure said. “They need those workers. They depend on those workers, and they can’t afford not to have that work.”
An employer found in violation of the proposed measure would be subject to a fine ranging between $10 and $200, according to the bill’s impact statement.
Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, introduced Senate Bill 121, the counterpart bill.
Farm laborers contribute to 9.3% of Virginia’s gross domestic product. Despite their economic contributions, these workers are not guaranteed the state’s $12.77 minimum wage, which bill supporters say highlights the inconsistency between value and pay.
Farm laborers and employees have been excluded from the Virginia Minimum Wage Act since it was adopted in 1975. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers are required to pay at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
“It’s past time that we stop excluding these hard workers from the protections in our Virginia Minimum Wage Act,” McClure said.
The Legal Aid Justice Center supports HB 20 and other legislation to protect Virginia workers. The organization has previously said the law that prevents farm workers from receiving the minimum wage is a “vestige of Jim Crow-era rulemaking.”
Manuel Gago, co-director of the Workers Justice Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center, spoke in favor of the bill at a Labor and Commerce committee meeting on Jan. 22.
“This bill is simple,” Gago said. “By removing these few outdated lines, we can end unequal treatment in our laws, eliminate Jim Crow era exclusions, and protect workers without raising food prices or harming the small farms.”
Over 20 Democratic lawmakers are listed as co-patrons. Del. Phil Hernandez, D-Norfolk, is a chief co-patron and also introduced legislation to protect farm workers, McClure said. One of these bills is HB 1092, which establishes standards to protect workers from heat illness. Hernandez also introduced a minimum wage for farm laborers bill in 2024.
An Appropriations committee passed HB 20 on Feb. 6 with a vote of 15-7 and an amendment that stalls the enactment date to Jan. 1, 2027.
If the bill passes the House, it will go to the Senate for consideration.
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