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RESOLUTION BY THE ARLINGTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE Supporting Fair and Equitable Collective Bargaining for Arlington County and School Board Workers Whereas Arlington County is a progressive community which values workers and their unions; Whereas collective bargaining is an international human right; Whereas collective bargaining is an efficient process by which county employees can have their voices heard about their wages, hours, and working conditions; Whereas Arlington County had a long history of bargaining with its county employees until the Supreme Court of Virginia declared the practice unconstitutional in a 1977 court case against Arlington County; Whereas the Virginia General Assembly last year adopted Virginia Code § 40.1-57.2 (effective date of May 1, 2021), which gives localities the option of adopting a collective bargaining ordinance for their public employees; Whereas the Arlington County Board and the Arlington School Board consider collective bargaining to be a means by which county employees can have a voice in improving county services; Whereas a broad ordinance that allows bargaining over wages, benefits, working conditions, health and safety, cost savings, and other subjects would support county employees; Whereas a broad ordinance that extends bargaining rights to general county employees and first responders who are not confidential employees also would support county employees; Whereas the use of an impartial, professional arbitrator or mediator to settle disputes and an impartial, neutral party to resolve impasses, subject to approval by the County Board, would be beneficial to county and school employees; therefore be it Resolved, that the Arlington County Democratic Committee hereby: 1. Supports adoption by the County Board and the School Board of ordinances governing their respective collective bargaining that are similar to the breadth and scope of the bill passed with the near-unanimous support of the Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly last year; and 2. Supports adoption by the County Board and the School Board of ordinances governing their respective collective bargaining that include wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment as mandatory subjects of bargaining; and 3. Expresses its conviction that our county’s dedicated and hardworking employees deserve the freedom to engage in collective bargaining as other public workers enjoy throughout the country. Passed and Approved this Resolution on the 5th day of May, 2021.

TAKE ACTION. Join the Arlington Dems for our monthly meeting on May5th at 7 PM in Eastern Time! Like previous months, we are asking that all attendees pre-register for the monthly meeting. You must register in advance for our monthly meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. View the Agenda | View the Presentation | View the Video

Condemning Police Abuse of a Law-Abiding Black and Latino Driver Statement. Once again, video has captured an unprovoked assault by police on a person of color. Fortunately, there is clear video evidence of most of the encounter, including body-cam footage from both of the police officers directly involved. The victim, Second Lieutenant Caron Nazario, has filed a civil rights complaint against the police officers in federal court in Norfolk. Governor Northam has directed the Virginia State Police to conduct an independent investigation and has invited Second Lieutenant Nazario to meet with him. One of the police officers involved has been fired and the local police force has instituted additional training for its officers. On the night of December 5, 2020, Second Lieutenant Nazario, who was in uniform, was driving his new car about thirty miles west of Norfolk when a police car signaled for him to pull over. The police later asserted that Nazario’s car lacked a rear license plate. Nazario’s complaint says that in the darkness the police officers may not at first have seen his temporary tag, although it was posted prominently and appropriately in his rear window. Nazario drove -- slowly -- to the nearest lighted area, a gas station. The police claim that Nazario’s failure immediately to pull over transformed this into a “high-risk” stop, although they have admitted that persons of color who are signaled to pull over in a dark stretch of road often drive to a lighted area before stopping. Because they now considered this a high-risk situation, when Nazario pulled into the gas station the police drew their guns on him. The video shows that they screamed at him to hold his hands outside his window but at the same time yelled that he should get out of his car. Clearly he couldn’t comply with both instructions at once -- he would need to bring at least one hand inside his car to release his seat belt and the door handle. Nazario sensibly chose to keep both of his hands in plain view. Nazario’s failure to get out of the car infuriated the officers, who became increasingly agitated and eventually pepper-sprayed him in the face. The video also shows that after the police finally allowed Nazario to use one hand to get out of the car, they knocked him to the ground, handcuffed him, and continued to threaten him. Allegedly they beat him as well. The police eventually called a medic to treat Nazario and the local police chief arrived to evaluate the situation. The officers then offered Nazario a choice: he could agree not to complain about the incident or they would charge him with serious crimes they knew he hadn’t committed, including obstruction of justice, eluding arrest, and assaulting a police officer. In the end, the two officers filed reports saying that they chose as a matter of discretion not to charge Nazario because they didn’t want to ruin his military career. Second Lt. Nazario did nothing wrong. He was driving with the required tags. He stopped as soon as reasonably feasible when the police signaled for him to pull over. He complied with the officers’ orders to show his hands and could not at the same time comply with their other command that he get out of his car. He did not elude arrest or assault anyone. Throughout the incident he spoke in a calm voice that should have defused the situation. When the police officers finally regained control of themselves, instead of apologizing to Second Lieutenant Nazario, they tried to buy his silence by threatening to fabricate charges against him. This abuse of police authority was apparently approved by the local chief. Resolution. WHEREAS the Black and Latino Caucuses of the Arlington County Democratic Committee are dedicated to promoting social justice and equity for Black and Latino members of our community; WHEREAS 2LT Caron Nazario was stopped without cause by police officers acting in their official capacity; WHEREAS these police officers failed to use reasonable care to ascertain whether 2LT Nazario had committed a traffic infraction; WHEREAS these police officers proceeded to intimidate, humiliate, pepper-spray, and otherwise physically abuse 2LT Nazario while he was in uniform, all without cause or provocation; WHEREAS these police officers threatened to fabricate serious charges against 2LT Nazario in order to frighten him into remaining silent about their own misconduct; therefore be it Resolved, that the Black and Latino Caucuses of the Arlington County Democratic Committee hereby: Condemn the police abuse of 2LT Nazario, including stopping him without cause, threatening him with violence, physically mistreating him, and threatening to charge him with crimes they knew he had not committed; Support a thorough, independent investigation of police actions against 2LT Nazario, together with the public release of a comprehensive report of its findings; Demand review of police rules governing traffic stops throughout Virginia to ensure that all of them clearly prohibit abuse and humiliation such as that suffered by 2LT Nazario; and Demand that all police officers involved in any aspect of the stop of 2LT Nazario and its aftermath be appropriately disciplined, as confirmed by an independent review.

TAKE ACTION. Join the Arlington Dems for our monthly meeting on April 7th at 7 PM in Eastern Time! Like previous months, we are asking that all attendees pre-register for the monthly meeting. You must register in advance for our monthly meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. View the Agenda | | View the Presentation | View the Video

The Chinese government is engaged in systematic persecution of its Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim populations. Its goal appears to be the complete eradication of minority Muslim cultural and religious traditions. The campaign is horrific, including prison camps, torture, rape, forced sterilizations, forced renunciations of faith, and forced labor. Many ethnic-minority Muslims who are not imprisoned are subjected to comprehensive surveillance and family separations. The  government has also destroyed thousands of Muslim religious sites, including mosques and cemeteries, primarily in the western part of China, where most of its Muslim population lives. The Chinese government has detained a million or more Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in up to 85 camps, where prisoners are being held indefinitely and without judicial process. Reportedly many in these prisons have been subjected to “severe physical abuse” as well as psychological mistreatment. Following the publication of satellite pictures in which some of the large camps are readily visible, the Chinese government has acknowledged the camps’ existence. It says that they are for “re-education” and “washing brains.” This is thought to be the largest mass detention of an ethnic group since the Holocaust. Many Uyghurs and members of other Turkic Muslim minorities who are not imprisoned are reportedly subject to removal from their homes to factories around China. There they manufacture products for international companies, live in confined housing, are closely monitored, and are required to participate in government-led political training. Others who remain in their homes face comprehensive surveillance. In some cases, Han Chinese government agents have moved into Uyghur Muslim homes to monitor the families’ religious practices and other aspects of their daily life. The government has removed some Muslim minority children from their families and sent them to boarding schools, where they are trained to abandon their ethnic and religious traditions and adopt government-supported ideas. The Chinese government claims that it is merely trying to eliminate political extremism and alleviate poverty. The United States government rejects this account. The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 passed Congress nearly unanimously in May 2020 and was signed into law on June 17, 2020. The law condemns “gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang” and calls for “an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China.” It urges U.S. companies and individuals operating in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Area to ensure that their commercial activities do not contribute to human rights violations. The Biden administration has recently imposed sanctions on two Chinese officials directly involved in the oppression. But much more needs to be done. Never again means never again for all people. You can help by: 1) signing the petition of the Council on American-Islamic Relations urging Congress to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act; 2) signing the Change.org petition urging the International Olympic Committee to require China to close the camps in Xinjiang as a condition of hosting Olympic Games in 2022; and 3) signing the Change.org petition for the immediate release of Uyghur Scholars imprisoned by the Chinese government.

Funding Will Add a Full Week of Secure, Electronic Ballot Return to the May Contest, in Addition to In-Person Voting Assistance Friday, March 26, 2021, ARLINGTON, Va.—The Arlington County Democratic Committee (Arlington Dems) has been awarded a grant by the nonprofit National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) that will enable a significant expansion of opportunities for Arlingtonians to participate in the upcoming Arlington Dems School Board Caucus. It will add a secure, electronic balloting option that will further facilitate safe voting under COVID-19 pandemic conditions by enabling voters to cast ballots securely from their computers, tablets or smartphones. The NCC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to raising cyber awareness, education, and innovation across public and private sectors. Originally envisioned by former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and founded in 2016, the NCC has active initiatives across a wide variety of areas including cyber education, election security, and SMART cities. The grant will enable Arlington Dems to partner with Democracy Live, the largest provider of mobile and cloud-based voting technologies in the United States, to offer a full week—168 hours—of mobile electronic voting for the School Board Caucus. In addition, Arlington Dems will offer 14 hours of in-person voting assistance. This assistance will be provided over two days, leveraging Democracy Live’s ADA-compliant, multilingual, mobile-accessible electronic voting platform. Arlington Dems also will look for opportunities to host additional socially distanced voter support events around the county to expand access to the electronic voting platform. “Since last year, Arlington Dems has worked diligently to identify safe options for voting under pandemic conditions. We’re excited to now be able to offer a secure and scalable Internet-based ballot delivery option that allows voters to eliminate or greatly reduce their exposure to COVID-19 as the nationwide vaccination effort continues,” said Alex Zins, Arlington Dems School Board Caucus Director. “We strongly encourage all voters who can to take advantage of this electronic voting option to do so. We also will continue to offer in-person voting, particularly for those who require assistance with voting or who do not have Internet access.” Democracy Live: 10 million U.S. voters in 21 States Democracy Live deployed its technology in 21 states in the 2020 election cycle, supporting more than 2,500 local election jurisdictions. Founded in 2007, Democracy Live has helped to franchise nearly 10 million U.S. voters by providing electronic balloting technology. The company partners with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to securely host ballots, data, and its platform and technology in the same cloud environment approved by all federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and the FBI. The Democracy Live platform has never been compromised by hackers. To ensure the integrity of the vote, the software also produces PDF copies of ballots, creating a paper trail, if needed. Ballots also will be available in multiple languages. While the neighboring states of North Carolina and West Virginia have offered electronic balloting options via Democracy Live, Washington, D.C., is the only jurisdiction in the DMV to have partnered with the company to-date. Two Candidates to Vie for Endorsement for Open School Board Seat The caucus will determine who Arlington Dems will support between two candidates competing in the Nov. 2 general election for the seat now held by School Board Chair Monique O’Grady, who previously was endorsed by Arlington Dems, but will not seek re-election. Miranda Turner and Mary Kadera will be on the Arlington Democrats’ caucus ballot. Caucus Voting Options Address Digital Equity With the U.S. Census Bureau estimating that nearly 96% of the Washington, DC metro region households have access to a computer, and 74% of county residents reporting that they have four or more Internet-enabled devices at home (including 95% of Hispanic residents), the vast majority of Arlington residents should be able to take advantage of this electronic, mobile-accessible voting option. Residents with less reliable or no access to the Internet can leverage the County’s substantial array of free digital resources, which include WiFi hotspots at various locations. Recognizing that some residents may require additional support, Arlington Dems will continue to offer an in-person voting option for those voters. To address this need, Arlington Dems added more in-person hours than the minimum called for under previously adopted caucus rules, although most voters are expected and encouraged to access the electronic voting platform from home because of the continuing risk of COVID-19. Assistance by phone also will be available. Electronic ballot return may be particularly helpful in expanding voting access by persons with disabilities. Voters with disabilities are a rapidly expanding portion of the electorate, according to a September 2020 study by two Rutgers University professors. A projected 38.3 million non-institutionalized Americans with disabilities were eligible to vote in the November 2020 elections, representing close to one-sixth of the total electorate, according to the study. In Virginia, that number was nearly 5.3 million, or 15% of the commonwealth’s electorate. The number of eligible voters with disabilities has increased nearly 20% since 2008, compared to an increase of 12% among eligible voters without disabilities. Significant subsets of the disabled electorate are also members of racial or ethnic minorities, the study found. “Arlington Dems is pleased to provide additional support to the disability community through the use of an ADA-compliant electronic voting platform, and will look for more ways to encourage participation in the School Board Caucus by traditionally underrepresented communities,” noted Zins. Electronic Voting Comes After Earlier Unprecedented Effort to Offer Safe Voting During Pandemic After last spring’s stay-at-home order in the commonwealth, Arlington Dems planned and launched the first-of-its-kind mail-in endorsement caucus, for two open School Board seats, which allowed voters to minimize their exposure to COVID-19. Although there was no other election on the ballot, more than 5,700 ballots were cast, which was within 272 votes of the previous county caucus record. The newly-announced electronic voting option, made possible by the NCC grant, is a continuation of the Arlington Dems’ response to pandemic conditions. Other aspects of this response have focused on supporting County efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to residents, including redirecting the Arlington Dems’ “Rides to the Polls” operation to help seniors of all political stripes register for and obtain COVID-19 vaccinations. “Arlington Dems is proud to be the recipient of this grant, grateful to the National Cybersecurity Center, and excited to partner with Democracy Live to bring secure, mobile, electronic voting to the county,” said Arlington Dems Chair Jill Caiazzo. “With this innovation, Arlington Dems continues to lead our community through the pandemic. By bringing electronic voting to the county, with a focus on digital equity, we will offer even more Arlingtonians easy, secure access to one of the most fundamental rights Americans exercise, while also reducing the risk of COVID-19 infections that the country continues to battle.” Details about the Arlington Dems School Board Caucus are available at www.arldemsold.local/sbcaucus, which will be updated as additional logistics are confirmed. As in past years, Arlington Dems will undertake a significant social media and outreach campaign to spread information about the caucus throughout the county.

by the Arlington County Democratic Committee Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus The Arlington County Democratic Committee Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus stands with our fellow Asian American Pacific Islanders to condemn the horrendous acts towards our community. Acts of violence and hatred towards one community is a crime of injustice for all. We’ve been seeing these acts all across the country committed against our mothers, fathers, grandparents, sisters, brothers, daughters, and sons. It could easily be any one of us or our loved ones. What happened in Atlanta this week was horrifying, but unfortunately is only the latest incident. Research shows that nearly 3,800 racist incidents occurred in the past year, 2.3 times more to women than men, as reported by Stop AAPI Hate. This number is likely much higher as many incidents go unreported. Verbal harassment accounts for 68.1% of incidents and physical assault at 11.1%. Anti-Asian racism has been around since the United States was founded. That racism has included the exploitation of labor, both physical and sexual, concentration camps, and mass deportation. It has also included countless individual acts of violence, often condoned by the government, by white people. Although hate crimes against the AAPI community have been rampant, especially during the pandemic, it has largely not received the national attention it deserves. These hate crimes are the manifestation of white supremacy, and any effort to address them must also attack white supremacy within our society. Here are some ways you can help: Safety Tips (in multiple language) Report incidents of hate crimes: Mark Herring, Virginia’s Attorney General, suggests that hate crimes be reported to: Call 911 as soon as possible. Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit compiling a national database of document incidents of hate, abuse, or discrimination Your local FBI office-Find your local FBI office Donate to organizations fighting for Asian Americans See these helpful tips for when you experience or witness hate as shared from Virginia's No Hate VA initiative. 5 Things to Consider When Experiencing Hate 1. Safety First: Trust your instincts and assess your surroundings. If you feel unsafe and you are able to, leave the area. 2. Stay Calm: Take a deep breath, limit eye-contact, and maintain neutral body language. 3. Speak Out (If you can do so safely): In a calm and firm voice establish physical boundaries, and denounce the behavior and comments. 4. Seek Immediate Support: Ask bystanders for support or to intervene. 5. Seek Emotional Support: Once you feel safe, take time to recover and reach out to someone to talk about what happened. Remember this is not your fault, and you are not alone. 5 Ways to Help If You Witness Hate 1. Take Action: Approach the targeted person, introduce yourself, and offer support. 2. Actively Listen: Ask before taking any actions and respect the targeted person’s wishes. Monitor the situation if needed. 3. Ignore Attacker: Using your discretion, attempt to calm the situation by using your voice, body language, or distractions. 4. Accompany: If the situation escalates, invite the targeted person to join you in leaving. 5. Offer Emotional Support: Help the targeted person by asking how they’re feeling. Assist them in figuring out what they want to do next. We respect Asian Voices. We celebrate Asian culture. We support Asian businesses. We embrace Asian identities. We stand with the Asian community. We thank everyone for their continued support and solidarity.

Two Virginia inmates have filed civil-liberties lawsuits alleging that, in separate incidents, guards set attack dogs on them. They both say that at the time they were neither posing no threat nor resisting orders. The inmates further allege that the guards then refused them adequate medical care for the resulting dog bites. They claim lasting physical and psychological injuries. According to the Washington Post, “numerous” other inmates have alleged in letters to a human rights organization that maximum-security prisons in Virginia regularly use dogs to “terrify and attack” inmates. In prison documents filed with one of the complaints (on Pacer, behind a paywall) prison officials deny that the plaintiff was complying with orders at the time of the attack or that he was refused medical care. However, they admit using a dog against him, saying that after the inmate was secured, the dog was pulled back “to prevent additional injury.” Virginia correctional policy expressly permits the use of dogs to “assist in control of offenders.” This rule authorizes much wider use of dogs against inmates than appears to be permissible in most other states and other countries. While publicly available research is scarce, the Washington Post reports that “many states” and the “U.S. military” expressly prohibit any use of dogs against inmates. Another news source reports that, as of two years ago, five states permitted prisons to use dogs for the specific purpose of extracting an uncooperative inmate from a cell. In 2006, Human Rights Watch reported that it knew of no other nation that permitted this practice. A spokeswoman for the Virginia prisons refused to comment on the litigation, other than to ask that any “specific, credible allegations” be forwarded to the prisons authority so it “can look into them.” The spokeswoman said that the prison system works with the Department of Criminal Justice Services to certify its canine teams, which are used in part to search for prison contraband. Department of Corrections rules require that prison officers promptly report dog bites and administer appropriate medical care if someone is bitten. The prisons authority did not say that use of its dogs to frighten or harm inmates would violate any of its rules. The use of dogs against inmates is cruel and unusual, potentially in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, and simply too barbaric to be allowed in a modern prison system. Worse, at a time of national racial reckoning, it evokes the horror of Bloody Sunday in Selma. Using dogs is unnecessary in order to maintain order, as shown by the fact that many other state prisons in the United States do not use dogs against inmates. Virginia should ban the practice immediately. You can help by calling Governor Northam at 804-786-2211. Tell him: Use of dogs against inmates has no place in a civilized, twenty-first century prison system. Please order that the use of dogs against inmates in Virginia prisons cease immediately.

Over the past several months, farmers in India and their supporters have mounted massive protests and associated strikes against a recent, hastily adopted overhaul of the nation’s agricultural distribution system. This reform threatens price protections for already impoverished farmers. The protests and associated strikes have spread throughout India and now are estimated to be the largest organized labor strike in history. The Indian government has responded to this mass movement with excessive force, charges of sedition against protest leaders, and the arrest of journalists reporting on the protests. India is a free and democratic nation, yet its government is violating civil liberties laws in an attempt to suppress the protests. Our senators have a responsibility to condemn these actions by the Indian government:  Senator Warner is Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, and Senator Kaine is one of its members. In addition, Representative Beyer represents many Arlingtonians who are deeply concerned about the Indian government’s ruthless actions. You can help by urging our elected officials to speak out against the repression of civil liberties in India. Proposed script: I urge you publicly to condemn the actions of the Indian government in attempting to suppress protests and strikes against recent agricultural reforms. The Indian government should honor the rights of its citizens to free speech, free assembly, and peaceful protest. Email Sen. Mark Warner at https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/ Email Sen. Tim Kaine at https://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact. Email Rep. Don Beyer at https://beyer.house.gov/contact/.

TAKE ACTION. Join the Arlington Dems for our monthly meeting on Feb 3, 2021 at 7 PM in Eastern Time! Like previous months, we are asking that all attendees pre-register for the monthly meeting. You must register in advance for our monthly meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. View the Agenda | View the Presentation | View the Video

ARLINGTON, Va., Monday, March 01, 2021—To support Arlington County’s efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccines to its residents, the Arlington Democrats’ Rides to the Polls team is mobilizing its volunteers to help Arlington seniors navigate registering to receive the vaccine and securing appointments. The team also will provide rides to vaccine appointments. “We’ve heard from neighbors and friends about the difficulties some seniors are having registering and making appointments,” said Mary Byrne, vice chair of the Arlington Democrats’ Ride to the Polls team. “Many residents with Internet access are confused by the registration portal, while those without computers face barriers in signing up. We’re hoping our assistance will be especially useful right now as the county transitions from its own vaccination platform to the commonwealth’s new Vaccinate Virginia system.” Through March and April, Rides Team volunteers will phone Arlington residents 75 years and older, regardless of party affiliation, who do not live in the County’s senior living communities because most of those residents already are vaccinated or scheduled to receive vaccinations. “We want to focus on those living alone or in very small households,” Byrne said. The Rides Team volunteers will offer senior Arlington residents with assistance in: Registering for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment Making an appointment Getting a ride to their appointments Arlington residents 65 and over are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Before being scheduled for an appointment, residents must register on the commonwealth’s system, either over the phone or via the website. Once a person is registered, Arlington County staff will follow up with appointment scheduling via email or phone. The Arlington Democrats Rides team can help anyone who needs help with that process, or a ride once they have an appointment. Anyone interested in helping Arlington seniors get vaccinated is encouraged to volunteer. Seniors or people with disabilities who need a ride to their appointments may call the Arlington Democrats’ main number 703-528-8588, ext. 5. A volunteer will return the call within 2 hours. The Arlington County Democratic Committee (Arlington Democrats) is the official county organization for the Democratic Party of Virginia. Arlington Democrats is open to anyone interested in advancing Democratic candidates, policy priorities and values in Arlington. Learn more at the Arlington Democrats website, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Contact: Mary Byrne 703/608-8726 rides@arldemsold.local

Like 27 other states, Virginia has “right-to-work” laws that lead to lower wages and benefits and poorer working conditions than workers are generally able to obtain in the roughly half of the country that lacks these laws. Misleadingly, but commonly, called “right-to-work” laws, these provisions protect employers rather than workers. Their real purpose and effect is to limit the ability of unions effectively to bargain for better terms for their members. Currently pending in the Virginia House of Delegates is legislation, HB 1755, that would repeal Virginia’s right-to-work laws. You can help improve the lot of Virginia workers by calling your state representatives and urging them to support HB 1755. Contact information and a suggested message are shown below. Virginia’s right-to-work laws are particularly stringent. Like laws in some other right-to-work states, they prohibit an employer from agreeing to make union membership a condition of employment. Unlike many other right-to-work laws, however, they also prohibit an employer from agreeing to require its employees to pay their fair share to the union for representing them, even if these employees do not have to pay any additional amount for union membership. These laws weaken a union by depriving it of income from some of the employees whose interests it is required to represent. At the same time it enables those employees to receive whatever wages, benefits, and working conditions the union is able to negotiate without contributing to the cost of their union representation. States with right-to-work laws have been shown to have lower wages, lower benefits, and poorer working conditions than states without such laws. In part because of Virginia’s right-to-work laws, the rights of workers in our state are among the weakest in the nation. There is another ugly side to right-to-work laws: many were enacted in the years after World War II in part to preserve racial segregation in unions. Virginia’s laws were adopted very soon after the war, in 1947. You can help make change happen. Email your state Delegate and Senator and urge them to support repeal of Virginia’s right-to-work laws: Four delegates represent voters in various parts of Arlington. Email your delegate: Patrick Hope represents District 47 in Arlington. He is a patron of HB 1755. DelPHope@house.virginia.gov Proposed text: Repeal of Virginia’s right-to-work laws is very important to me. I strongly support your efforts to enact HB 1755. Mark Levine represents District 45 in Arlington. He is a patron of HB 1755. DelMLevine@house.virginia.gov Proposed text: Repeal of Virginia’s right-to-work laws is very important to me. I strongly support your efforts to enact HB 1755. Alfonso Lopez represents District 49 in Arlington. He is a patron of HB 1755. He is also on the House Labor and Commerce Committee, which is currently considering HB 1755. DelALopez@house.virginia.gov Proposed text: Repeal of Virginia’s right-to-work laws is very important to me. I strongly support your efforts to enact HB 1755. Rip Sullivan represents District 48 in Arlington. He is on the House Labor and Commerce Committee, which is currently considering HB 1755. DelRSullivan@house.virginia.gov Proposed text: Repeal of Virginia’s right-to-work laws is very important to me. I urge you to support HB 1755. Three senators represent voters in various parts of Arlington. Email your state senator: Adam Ebbin represents District 30 in Arlington. district30@senate.virginia.gov Proposed text: Repeal of Virginia’s right-to-work laws is very important to me. I urge you to work to repeal these unfair laws. Barbara Favola represents District 30 in Arlington. district31@senate.virginia.gov Proposed text: Repeal of Virginia’s right-to-work laws is very important to me. I urge you to work to repeal these unfair laws. Janet Howell represents District 32 in Arlington. district32@senate.virginia.gov Proposed text: Repeal of Virginia’s right-to-work laws is very important to me. I urge you to work to repeal these unfair laws.