The city of Richmond is at a crossroads. We are experiencing growth and transformation, yet not everyone gets a chance to share in the fruits of our success.

For the past four years, I’ve been proud to call this city home, but I believe we need to take important steps to ensure our city is just, equitable and a place where — no matter what you look like, what neighborhood you come from or where you went to school — everyone has a chance to succeed on their own terms.

One way to set us on the right path is by giving City of Richmond workers a voice on the job to improve their workplaces and the services they provide.

Through collective bargaining, city workers can negotiate over things like wages, benefits, scheduling and workplace safety. This will make all the differ- ence and will allow us to attract and retain essential workers that keep our city running. I only wish that this change happened sooner.

Recently, the Commonwealth Institute reported that 3 out of 4 City of Richmond employees cannot afford an adequate standard of living for their fami- lies on their current salaries. I’m tired of watching families — especially families of color — accept a sad reality that a living wage is only a dream, that they should be thankful for the scraps while being pushed out of their communities by the unrelenting march of gentrification. This harms the fabric of our historic neighborhoods.

The city’s non-Hispanic Black population fell by 11.5 percent from 2010 to 2020. That is concerning to me and a trend that must be reversed.

By earning a fair wage and experiencing stable employment through public services, communities of color will be able to remain in our vibrant city for years to come.

And that’s why the coming months are so important. The Richmond City Council has the chance to pass an ordinance that will empower all city workers to control their own destinies and work in partnership with leaders to improve how our city runs.

As a member of the task force assembled to create a civilian police review board and recently elected chair of the Richmond City Democratic Committee, I know the importance of having a say in how decisions are made. By pushing for community investment, foster- ing civic engagement, racial and economic equality and protecting voting rights, Richmond can be the city we all know it can be. But we cannot leave out unions and workers’ rights as part of the puzzle that will make us whole.

When city workers are allowed to form their union with SEIU Virginia 512 and negotiate a union contract, I know our city will be in a better place.

JEWEL GATLING

Richmond