AFFT strongly supports Virginia’s right-to-work law and opposes any effort to repeal it.
At its core, right to work protects a fundamental freedom: no worker should be required to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment. That principle is not anti-worker. It is pro-choice, pro-freedom, and essential to a fair and open labor system.
“No one should have to pay dues to keep their job,” said Chip Rogers, CEO of AFFT. “That’s the basic promise of right to work, and it’s a promise worth defending.”
Right to work does not prevent workers from organizing, bargaining collectively, or joining unions if they choose. Those rights are already protected under federal law. What right to work ensures is that participation remains voluntary, not coerced. Workers should never have to pay dues or accept representation they did not choose simply to earn a living.
“Worker freedom only means something if it includes the freedom to say no,” Rogers said. “Voluntary association is a cornerstone of a fair labor system. Coercion has no place in it.”
Efforts to repeal right to work are often framed as empowering workers, but in practice they shift power away from individual employees and toward institutions. Mandatory financial support reduces accountability and weakens trust between workers and those who claim to represent them. Real representation must be earned, not compelled.
“Forcing workers to fund organizations they may disagree with doesn’t strengthen representation, it weakens it,” Rogers said. “If a union truly serves workers well, it shouldn’t need the force of law to collect dues.”
Virginia’s workforce is diverse, independent, and dynamic. A one-size-fits-all system that forces workers into union arrangements they may not support does not reflect the modern economy or the values of individual liberty and personal agency.
AFFT believes worker freedom means the freedom to choose:
- Whether to join a union
- Whether to financially support an organization
- Whether a representative truly speaks for them
Virginia’s right-to-work law respects those choices. Repealing it would move the state backward, away from voluntary participation and toward compulsory systems that put institutional power ahead of individual workers.
“This debate comes down to a simple question,” Rogers said. “Do we trust workers to make their own decisions, or do we think the government should make those decisions for them? AFFT stands with workers.”
AFFT will continue to advocate clearly and unapologetically for policies that protect worker choice, transparency, and freedom. Right to work is a vital safeguard for Virginia’s workforce, and it must remain the law.