Canadian wildfire smoke is making it a health hazard just to be outside.

It makes me think of all the workers who have to be outside for their jobs and wonder how their employers are ensuring their safety.

The bad air quality comes at a time when many Virginians are dealing with extreme heat and drought conditions.

Legislation passed this year and signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger requires state regulators to come up with workplace heat safety standards by 2028.

With the way things are going with global warming, I worry about how hot things will be by then.

Below, I report on how fired federal workers are still fighting to get their jobs back and to hold the Trump administration accountable.

And, a summer reading list from Virginia’s lieutenant governor.

Want to get in touch, or have stories you want me to cover? Reply to this email or reach out to me directly at michaeloconnor@couriernewsroom.com.

Michael O’Connor

Reporter, Dogwood

US Rep. Don Beyer speaking today at a rally in support of fired federal workers in Washington, DC. (Michael O’Connor/Dogwood)

This morning, I ventured across the Potomac River to cover an event in support of federal workers fighting to get their jobs back.

Gathered under an unforgiving sun in the swampy July heat of Washington, DC, what stood out most was the resilience of a group of people unceremoniously fired by the Trump administration last year.

“ We remember the lessons from this country’s past, that when faced with fascism and the crises it begets, only community, only solidarity can save us,” said Dan McDonald, a vice president with the American Federation of Government Employees.

Trump’s mistreatment of federal workers has largely receded from the headlines, especially as more attention shifts to the midterms this fall.

But these workers, including two Virginians I interviewed, are not giving up their push to hold the Trump administration accountable for their mistreatment.

“We are gonna fight this,” one told me. “What happened made so little sense. I think it was wrong, and I think it was traitorous. It was also stupid and wasteful.”

Read more about their stories here

Another Virginia Starbucks location has unionized, Angela Woolsey at FFXnow reports.

Newport News City Council voted to allow city employees to engage in collective bargaining beginning in 2028, Tracy Cooper and Jordie Clark of WVEC report.

The Economic Policy Institute has a new report looking at the benefits of increasing union membership in the US from 10%, where it is now, to 30%—and how to get there.

Marchers in Richmond on May 21, 2026. (Michael O’Connor/Dogwood)

As noted above, Newport News is on its way to becoming a place where city workers have a seat at the negotiating table.

That’s a rare thing in Virginia, where local government employees only get that opportunity if localities make it an official policy that they are allowed to do so.

Some, like the city of Manassas, have done the opposite and expressly banned collective bargaining for their workers.

But if the labor movement in Virginia has its way, the days of this patchwork system are numbered.

After Spanberger’s veto, labor leaders and their allies in the General Assembly will try again next year to pass legislation expanding collective bargaining rights to local government workers across the state.

One of the sticking points in the debate over this year’s failed legislation was the scope of bargaining.

The General Assembly and labor unions supported making wages and hours a mandatory part of what local government workers could negotiate. Spanberger wanted to make it optional.

Newport News’ ordinance appears to make it a requirement.

“The City and the Exclusive Representative shall be required to engage in collective bargaining over wages, certain benefits, and Terms and Conditions of Employment,” the ordinance reads.