VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Collective bargaining will not be coming to Virginia Beach.
In a meeting Tuesday, City Council voted five to five with one abstention to bring collective bargaining rights to city employees.
The vote means that efforts to unionize have failed. Despite a large outpouring of support from city workers, state laws say that local governments need to approve employees' plans to unionize.
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach workers rally outside city hall supporting collective bargaining
Earlier in April, there were rallies held by city employees in favor of unionization.
The vote aligned with Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer's hopes to have a decision on collective bargaining by the end of the month.
