Laborers, Union Members Gather in Support of Northern Virginia Casino

Workers and members of various labor unions gathered in Fairfax, Virginia on Tuesday to campaign for a casino in Tyson, Virginia.

The assembly of casino backers is part of the newly-formed Fairfax County Jobs Coalition, which includes several labor and community groups. They convened to encourage the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to advance a referendum that would enable voters to decide on the fate of the casino on the November ballot.

The coalition said that a casino could create more than 5,000 temporary and long-term jobs in the construction and hospitality industries.

Pressing the issue

The rally began at 8:30 local time. Attendees led various chants and held signs displaying support for the casino, unions, and local projects such as public education.

Many coalition members are looking to the positive economic impact and the creation of job opportunities as reasons to support the referendum. One member named Rafael Cruz said the influx of jobs would completely change the economic forecast amid rising inflation and financial stress for a variety of demographics.

Virginia Diamond, president of The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), said that a casino would completely transform communities around Tysons.

“We have agreements in place that will allow more than 5,000 workers to be able to choose freely, to become part of a union,” said Diamond. And having a union job is life-changing.”

David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, furthered the support for a casino. 

“This is an important opportunity to bring in more commercial tax revenue for schools and other county services, which is sorely needed,” said Walrod.

Casino roadblocks

In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly ordered the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission to study the potential impact of a Northern Virginia casino. The results suggested that the state stood to gain up to $155 million in annual tax revenue.

The Virginia Senate had a chance to advance a Northern Virginia casino bill earlier this year. Instead, the bill never made it out of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee and was passed on to next year’s session due to the committee’s desire for more research into the matter.

The casino referendum also has an important local critic. Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-District 38), who represents parts of Fairfax County, already voiced opposition to casino legislation.

“[Tysons Corner] is where Fortune 500 companies have come to make their home,” Boysko said during the previous legislative session. “[A casino] is not something that Fortune 500s would like to have in their community.”

According to median household income reported by the Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimates (2018-2022), Fairfax County is the fifth-richest county in America and has a 5.9 percent poverty rate, nearly half of the nationwide 11.1 percent figure reported in 2023. 

Nearby Loudoun County and Falls Church City were also named the two richest counties in America and had poverty rates of 3.2 percent and two percent, respectively. Arlington County finished 10th on the list with a poverty rate of 6.4 percent.