RICHMOND, Va. — In honor of Labor Day, Freedom Virginia Executive Director Rhena Hicks today issued the following statement renewing the organization's call for an economy in which all hardworking people can thrive: 

"Today we celebrate the accomplishments of the labor movement, who, thanks to Democratic majorities in the General Assembly, passed significant pro-worker laws that resulted in Virginia jumping from #51 to #28 in Oxfam's 'Best States to Work.' 

"We must also strive to make Virginia one of the best places for workers to live, and that starts with lowering the cost of living. While in power, Democrats capped the cost of insulin, lowered health insurance premiums by nearly 20 percent on the marketplace, brought more transparency to the price of medicine, and delivered refunds to ratepayers who were overcharged by utility companies. 

"Affordability is on the ballot this fall. Just this year, Virginia House Republicans sided with Big Pharma to kill a bill that would have capped the cost of certain medicines through a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. They passed a budget that included $1 billion in tax giveaways for corporations and the rich. And they killed a middle-class tax credit that would let hardworking parents keep more of what they earn.

"Pro-worker means fighting for workers not just at work but also outside of it. It means siding with working families over big corporations, big utilities, and Big Pharma. It means investing in our schools and our communities instead of tax schemes for the rich. Only one party has a proven track record fighting for working families, and in less than three weeks, working families will have the opportunity to vote for a Virginia that is truly pro-labor."