TOP STORIES: Collective bargaining push, Confederate statue removed, more deportations halted
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On Labor Day, workers in Portsmouth will rally in an effort to push the city council to adopt a formal ordinance regarding collective bargaining.
‘A symbol of hope’: Union advocates urge action on collective bargaining in Portsmouth
The gathering will take place at the “Labor Day discussion and fellowship” event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Great Awakening United Church of Christ on High Street to energize the community behind this effort.
Portsmouth made headlines in Nov. 2023 when the City Council voted 4-2 to authorize collective bargaining, becoming the first locality in Hampton Roads to do so. However, the city has yet to pass an implementing ordinance that would lay out procedures and timelines for negotiations with public sector unions.
Critics of public-sector collective bargaining — such as Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover — cite costs as a main worry, arguing that these employees already receive generous benefits. On the other hand, Tangela Randall, a support coordinator who works with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, says bold action in favor of collective bargaining “can serve as a symbol of hope, embodying the very essence of democracy.”
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The Confederate monument in downtown Edenton was removed late Saturday evening, according to reporting by the Daily Advance.
Confederate statue taken down in downtown Edenton
The monument was first installed outside Edenton’s 1767 Courthouse in 1909, then moved to South Broad Street more than 50 years later. Observers said the memorial was transported to the old Chowan County Jail and placed inside a walled enclosure. Plans call for the monument to eventually be relocated to Veterans Memorial Park on Court Street, but no site preparation has begun there…