Virginia has been ranked the best state to do business, but the worst state for workers’ prosperity. These two rankings are not a coincidence. For years, a focus on making Virginia “business-friendly” has served as a smokescreen for pushing through ultra-conservative reforms that take political and economic power away from working families and give it increasingly to corporate giants that want to squeeze their workers for all they are worth. My economic vision acknowledges that our economy is stronger, our productivity is higher, and our public health is better when everyone is cared for.

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I helped pass Virginia’s first minimum wage increase in over a decade, which puts the Commonwealth on the path to $15 an hour in the near future. However, we can’t stop there.

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One of the biggest roadblocks to workers’ prosperity in Virginia is our “Right-to-Work” law. Despite the fact that labor unions are the best way to achieve higher wages, better conditions, and better benefits for our workers, so-called “Right-to-Work” is deliberately designed to make it hard for Virginians to organize in the workplace. I am prepared to take on the financial interests in both parties to repeal this archaic law.

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I also introduced a bill in the 2020 legislation session that would crack down on the illegal practice of wage theft. Every year, employers steal billions of dollars from their employees, for example, by failing to pay overtime rates, violating minimum wage laws, or underreporting hours. I will continue fighting to make sure Virginia can practically and effectively enforce wage theft laws, and ensure all stolen wages are returned to the workers who earned them.

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It makes no sense that paid family and sick leave is not guaranteed in Virginia. When workers are sick, they often come to work anyway because they can’t risk the missed paycheck. By ensuring paid leave for all, we promote public health and economic stability, and provide working families with an avenue to deal with family or health challenges without risking financial ruin. 

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Virginia’s tax code is yet another example of big business and the ultra-wealthy getting the upper hand. We need a long-overdue revamp of our tax code to ensure that every Virginian is paying their fair share, and to ensure that the Commonwealth is bringing in enough revenue to provide the essential services and programs that Virginians rely on and lift up those at the margins of our economy.