View photos from the event HERE.
WOODBRIDGE, VA – Workers and community members from across Prince William County joined local elected officials Saturday for the second in a statewide series of town halls focused on one of the biggest challenges facing Virginia families: how rising costs are making it harder for the people who provide essential public services and care to afford to live and work in the communities that depend on them.
The event brought together county employees, home care workers, educators and other community members to share their experiences and discuss how collective bargaining can help address affordability, strengthen the workforce and improve essential public services. Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson joined the conversation about expanding collective bargaining rights to public service and home care workers across Virginia.
Prince William County employee and home care provider Patrice Summers served as emcee, opening the program before remarks from Chair Jefferson and Altagracia (Alta) Kubinyi of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. County employee Melinda Vaikasiene, home care worker Joyce Rena Bumbray-Graves, and graduate worker and AAUP member Anna Engelhardt each shared their experience. Athena Jones, Chair of SEIU Virginia 512’s Home Care Chapter, discussed workforce shortages and families’ need for reliable care, followed by SEIU Virginia 512 President LaNoral Thomas, who explained collective bargaining and led an open conversation with workers, care recipients and family members. Summers closed the program by encouraging participants to share their stories and sign the statewide collective bargaining petition.
“Families across Virginia are feeling the squeeze, including the workers we count on to care for our loved ones and provide public services,” said LaNoral Thomas, President of SEIU Virginia 512. “When those workers can’t afford to stay in their jobs, the whole community feels it – families struggle to find care, and public services lose experienced staff. Collective bargaining gives workers a say in their pay, benefits and working conditions so they can keep doing the work we all depend on. We need that opportunity for public service and home care workers across Virginia.”
“Families are having to spend more at the grocery store or bring home less. Working people shouldn’t have to make that choice,” said Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson. “Collective bargaining gives workers a way to fight together for better pay and better working conditions. As a local elected official, I’ve supported those rights in our community, but there’s only so much we can do locally. We need statewide collective bargaining so more Virginia workers have a voice and a real chance to make ends meet.”
“I’ve worked for Prince William County for more than 26 years, and I’m also a home care provider for my brother and sister. I know how much families count on us, and how hard it can be for the people doing this work to keep up with rising costs,” said Patrice Summers, a Prince William County employee, home care provider, and SEIU Virginia 512 member. “When I first got involved in organizing, someone told me, ‘You won’t be fighting alone.’ Now we’re bargaining our first union contract, and we have a voice at the table. I want public service and home care workers across Virginia to have that same chance.”
“Affordability should be for everyone, including the workers who serve our communities,” said County Supervisor Andrea Bailey. “They deserve good jobs, benefits they can afford, and stability for their families. I led the vote for collective bargaining in Prince William County, and I’ll keep advocating for those rights across Virginia. Unions are the backbone of this country. We owe working families more than words of support – we owe them action.”
Participants were encouraged to sign a statewide petition in support of statewide collective bargaining rights for public service and home care workers: https://act.seiu.org/a/vacollectivebargaining-petition.
Virginia does not currently have a statewide collective bargaining law covering public employees. State employees are prohibited from collective bargaining, while local governments can decide whether to authorize it, or opt in. Organizers are calling for statewide collective bargaining rights for public service and home care workers, arguing that workers’ ability to have a voice over wages, benefits and working conditions should not depend on where they live or work.
The issue is particularly urgent for Virginia’s home care workforce. Approximately 28,000 consumer-directed home care workers provide Medicaid-funded care to older adults and people with disabilities across Virginia. Home care workers help people with essential daily activities including eating, dressing, mobility and bathing, as well as other household and social supports (1). Virginia is projected to need an estimated 124,500 additional home care workers by 2032 as demand for care continues to grow (2).
This event is the second in a statewide series of town halls across Virginia, including Loudoun on September 19, Fairfax on October 24, Richmond on November 7, and Hampton Roads on November 14. Dates are subject to change.
- The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, “Protecting Independence and Supporting Virginia Families Starts with Strong Home Care,” March 2026.
2. PHI, Workforce Data Center — Virginia 2022–2032 State Employment Projections
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ABOUT SEIU Virginia 512
SEIU Virginia 512 stands firm in the belief that all working families deserve dignity, respect, fair wages, benefits, and a voice in the workplace. In 2026, we represent 18,000 workers, and we are working to organize over 28,000 more! SEIU Virginia 512 members advocate for good union jobs and justice for everyone in our community.
