FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Monday morning, it was all smiles and cheers, inside the Fairfax Education Association office, as the collective bargaining election results came in.
"It was amazing. It was a very emotional time for me. This was something we worked really really hard for to ensure our staff get what they deserve," said FEA President Leslie Houston.
She says 96% of instructional workers voted yes, as well as 80% of operational workers.
"We filed for our collective bargaining election in May. Starting on June 3, all of the instructional and operational employees had their chance to cast an electronic vote," said David Walrod, the President of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers.
This "marks the culmination of a 47-year-long fight to win collective bargaining at Fairfax County Public Schools. This is undoubtedly a historic moment in Fairfax and a monumental step forward for labor," Walrod said.
"We've been working to try to get collective bargaining ever since 1977, 1977 is when the Virginia supreme court banned collective bargaining," he explained.
"Back in 2020, Governor Northam signed a bill allowing collective bargaining in the public sector. Fairfax County Public Schools passed a resolution in March of 2023," he said.
The Fairfax Education Unions, an alliance between FEA and FCFT, will represent more than 27,000 FCPS employees as the sole bargaining agent.
"We want to be able to say what it is that we need and be able to get it," said Houston.
"We've had a district that's gotten really used to making decisions without including folks," said Walrod.
But now, FCPS employees will also have a seat at the table.
"The big thing is that when you give people a voice in their working conditions, pay, etc,, you make them more likely to stick around," said Walrod.
He told WUSA9 what comes next is figuring out what their priorities will be before they present a contract.
"I would say that pay is something that folks are always looking for," he said when asked what are likely some of the priorities.
He also shared that he's heard from various FCPS employees concerns about their workload and their safety.
They've got a busy summer ahead.
"This summer we'll be working fiercely to make ensure that we are training people to know how to bargain," said Houston.
But both say, at the end of the day this is about the bigger picture.
"Our goal is to improve outcomes for students. We don't see this as teachers against the district, we see this as we all have a common interest in seeing Fairfax County Schools be the best that it can be and we just have to figure out how to get to that place," said Walrod.