Jace White, federal affairs director for the National Right to Work Committee, warned that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger’s record of supporting forced union dues could put Virginia’s economic progress at risk.
On Monday’s edition of The John Fredericks Show, White pointed to Spanberger’s votes while she served in Congress in favor of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—legislation that would repeal Right to Work laws nationwide—as clear evidence of her alignment with union leadership over worker choice.
Know the Facts, Protect Your Freedom 🇺🇸📚
The National @RightToWork Foundation is keeping Virginians informed on where candidates stand. Those who support the National Right to Work Act care about families, jobs, and freedom. Candidates like @winwithwinsome fight for workers’… pic.twitter.com/2YoywlASag
— John Fredericks (@jfradioshow) September 22, 2025
“If Abigail Spanberger thinks that she’s going to tweak [Right to Work] in any way, it’s going to be to allow workers to be forced to pay some kind of union dues or fees in order to get or keep a job. That’s not the kind of policy that we want here in Virginia, and unfortunately, she voted twice when she was in Congress for the so-called Pro Act, which is a bill that would repeal every state right to work law in the country and hand over a lot of powers to union bosses,” White said.
While White criticized Spanberger’s record of supporting forced union dues, he drew a sharp contrast with her Republican opponent.
He pointed to Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears as the gubernatorial candidate who firmly supports Virginia’s existing Right-to-Work law and the economic benefits it brings.
“Winsome Earle-Sears on the other hand, your other candidate for governor, has been very vocal in her support of Right to Work and keeping Virginia’s Right to Work law and the prosperity that it brings and the freedom for individual workers. So the choice for Virginians is going to be very clear here,” White said.
White explained how Virginia’s Right-to-Work law has been a key driver of job growth and economic development by protecting workers from being required to pay union dues to retain their jobs.
He cited data showing that states with Right-to-Work laws consistently outperform others in job creation. Repealing these protections, he argued, would undermine Virginia’s business-friendly environment and deter future investment.
“Right-to-Work is going to prove to be one of the more important issues in this race, in part because it’s brought a lot of economic prosperity to Virginia. Right-to-Work states have more than doubled the job growth that their forced unionism counterparts, and that’s because Right-to-Work states simply say that you can’t be forced to pay dues to a labor union. You have the freedom to join a union and to pay dues, but you’ll never be fired from your job for refusing to do that,” White explained.
White further emphasized how Spanberger’s stance on Right-to-Work contradicts public opinion, as a majority of Virginians support the right to choose whether to join or fund a union.
He said Spanberger’s position reflects the influence of powerful union interests that fund political campaigns, often at the expense of voter sentiment and economic freedom.
“Wanting to side with some of the most radical union bosses is a recipe for disaster for these politicians, and yet they keep doing it time and time again because of the money that it brings to their campaigns. I mean, it’s not a wise political choice, but it’s something that they keep making,” White said.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Abigail Spanberger” by Abigail Spanberger.
Editor’s Note: John Fredericks is the Publisher of The Virginia Star.
