Fire And Rescue Union Chosen For Fairfax County Collective Bargaining

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Last week, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2068 announced it won an election to represent Fairfax County fire and rescue employees in collective bargaining with county government.

IAFF Local 2068, which represents approximately 1,500 firefighters, fire marshals, apparatus mechanics and medics in the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, held an election for representation from Oct. 10 to 31. The union won the election for representation with over 95 percent of votes, or 797 of 837 votes.

This will be the first time in over 40 years Virginia public sector workers won the right to collectively bargain in their locality. Collective bargaining in Virginia localities had been paused since 1977, when a Virginia Supreme Court ruling stopped local governments from collective bargaining with their employees. But a Virginia law that took effect on May 1, 2021 changed that, allowing counties, cities and towns to adopt ordinances to recognize labor unions or employee associations as a bargaining unit and enter into collective bargaining.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors granted county employees collective bargaining rights with an ordinance approved in October 2021.

"This is a monumental day for the members of our department," said IAFF Local 2068 President Robert Young in a statement. "But it’s also a monumental day for all Fairfax County employees, and all of the residents of our community. We’ve shown that when Fairfax County workers come together, whether they’re first responders, general service employees, teachers, sanitation workers or anything else, that when we stand together, we have the power to have a say in the decisions that impact our lives and the lives of the communities we serve."

According to the union, one of the motivating factors for employees in the election for representation was staffing shortages. The union says employees have mandatory overtime of 12 to 24 hours after their normal 24-hour shifts due to staffing shortages.

"Having members work such excessive mandatory overtime isn’t just bad for their health, but it’s a potential hazard for the community members we serve," said Young in a statement. "We look forward to addressing this issue at the bargaining table."

Collective bargaining negotiations are expected to begin in early 2023 and continue through November. Any contract language agreed upon during the collective bargaining process wouldn't go into effect until the fiscal year 2025 budget. The union still plans to push for the county to address funding concerns in the upcoming fiscal year 2024 budget cycle.

Along with Fairfax County, Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, Loudoun County and City of Richmond have passed local collective bargaining ordinances.