The future of labor in Richmond was the focus of a “Unions for All” mayoral forum Saturday afternoon, as members from 17 unions and labor groups came together with other local workers in the BCTGM Union Hall to bring their questions to the candidates.

Candidates Andreas Addison, Michelle Mosby, Maurice Neblett, Harrison Roday and Danny Avula offered responses to questions on wage theft, living wage policies, anti-union tactics by employers and other issues. All sought to present themselves] as valuable allies to the over 150 people in attendance, and the city’s growing labor movement.

“We need a mayor that will help us make the City of Richmond a place where every worker and every family can thrive,” said Charles Skelly, a member of the Richmond Area Building and Construction Trades Council, IBEW Local 666 and forum co-moderator.

Addison and Mosby leaned on their experiences as politicians to address some of the questions presented, with Addison pointing out his part in ongoing employment efforts citywide and Mosby reminding the audience of what she accomplished during her earlier term in City Hall.

“You need a proven leader in local government that can work with City Council, work with the School Board so we can really get things done,” Mosby said.

Both tapped into their business background occasionally, from Mosby’s two decades as a business owner in South Side to Addison’s working family history and the values it gave him.

“I know what it takes to keep food on the table,” Addison said. 

As a pediatrician, public health physician and state vaccine coordinator during the pandemic, Avula focused on that record, how it established new jobs in the city and the insight gained through his unique role in city government operations during the forum.

“We need a leader who’s going to balance both the technical expertise and a heart and passion for the city and a heart and passion for justice and equity,” Avula said.

Roday highlighted his nonprofit that helps minority small businesses, and cited his experience as a shareholder as showing him the pitfalls of labor inequality, leading to a work philosophy he promised to bring to the mayor’s office.

“I will always listen, I will never refuse to meet with you, I will never stop fighting for what we know is important,” Roday said.

Neblett, for his part, highlighted his work as a board member of the local federal credit union, alongside a number of policy proposals that focused largely on accountability and transparency in response to audience questions.

“I want to ensure that as the mayor I’d be a representation,” Neblett said, “not just standing at the top of City Hall, but as someone who’s going to come and hear your union, that’s going to listen to you, that’s going to work with you on a daily basis.”

Richmond has seen huge strides in the development of labor rights recently, with a landmark, negotiated union contract for all city employees taking effect weeks earlier. The contract includes raises across the next three years, a labor management committee, an established grievance process and improved work conditions.

These labor gains have occurred as state workers with union memberships rose from 3.7% in 2022 to 4.3% last year, according to a report in January from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This rise contrasts Virginia’s status as a right-to-work state and a small downward trend nationally for union membership.

Despite these gains, workers at the forum said there was still work to be done.

“Even with my recent wage increase, it is still not enough to survive,” said Priscilla Peebles, a 66-year-old custodian in City Hall, as she addressed the candidates. “It makes no sense that I’m living paycheck to paycheck and seeking government assistance like food stamps and crisis programs just to be able to survive. We aren’t asking for much, just a living wage.”