Lewis Ginter strike enters day 15 as garden files for injunction to remove picketers from entrance

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — The strike by some workers at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has entered its 15th day — and the dispute has now moved from the picket line to the courts.

Lewis Ginter management filed for a temporary injunction against the union in an effort to remove picketers from the garden entrance, court documents obtained by CBS 6 show.

In the complaint, the garden alleges that union workers have obstructed the entrance, stopped or obstructed vehicles driven by employees, yelled at or intimidated employees and visitors, used abusive language against visitors, and created a public safety hazard by interrupting traffic flow on Lakeside Avenue. The Garden also alleges the picketing caused a serious crash on Labor Day and that it has suffered irreparable loss or injury to its business as a result.

“We have a responsibility to the public who needs a safe entry and exit to the Garden. The injunction was filed to address behavior that has created hazardous conditions, even resulting in a serious car accident on Labor Day. We do not intend to limit picketing, but filed to ensure the law is followed," a Garden spokesperson said in response to the filing.

CBS 6 reached out to Henrico Police about the Labor Day crash. Police said the crash happened after a car stopped in the roadway for pedestrians crossing a private crosswalk and another vehicle struck it. No injuries were reported.

Union negotiating committee member Clare Reines rejected the garden's allegations.

"We are clearly out here being peaceful. We're just trying to fight for better wages. We're exercising our legal right to picket and this is a pretty typical union-busting tactic to try and throw an injunction," Reines said. "From what I've experienced here on the picket line, none of those accusations hold any weight; we've not been obstructing roadways, we've not been obstructing traffic."

RELATED: Lewis Ginter workers strike over wages after rejecting raise: 'No workers! No garden!'

The legal action comes as negotiations remain at a standstill. The union's latest offer was a $1.90 across-the-board equity raise — 10 cents less than its previous offer of $2.00. Garden management responded through its attorney, saying it does not accept the offer and is not sure another meeting would be productive.

Union negotiating committee member Eryn Boyle said the union has already made significant concessions.

"That was disappointing to hear for sure. We were hoping for a higher offer. Our original offer was $3.50," Boyle said. "So we've already come down $1.60, but the Garden has not come up."

The LGBG Workers union says the 3% offer from the garden would translate into an approximate 52-cent raise for its employees, which Boyle says barely makes a dent in the rising cost of living in the Richmond area.

"The livable wage for Richmond for a single individual with no kids is $25 an hour, which only one person on our entire unit of 60 makes that much," Boyle said.

Boyle says the Garden's decision not to increase its best offer demonstrates an unwillingness to negotiate in good faith, which she says comes after a multimillion-dollar garden expansion in May and the Garden's previous use of the consulting group American Labor Group in 2024 when the union first formed. According to receipts, the Garden paid nearly $80,000 for their services over a two-month period.

However, the Garden says it is not currently using consultation services in its dispute with the union and it is still open to communication.

“The Garden’s last, best and final offer is still on the table for the Union’s consideration. We are continuing dialogue with the IAM, but do not have a meeting scheduled at this time," a spokesperson said. "Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has not had any association with the American Labor Group or any similar organization since 2024.”

The strike is also taking a financial toll on the garden. On Labor Day, about 1,700 people visited — a 66% drop from the 5,100 who visited on the same day the prior year, according to a union worker familiar with the attendance numbers.

In response to the drop in workforce as a result of boycotting efforts, the Garden says it has hired temporary staff to maintain its operations. The Union believes that the temp workers hired are currently making more money hourly than they would have to pay union workers if they accepted the union's $1.90 equitable raise. When CBS 6 asked about the pay rate of the temporary employees, the Garden says it would not discuss specific personnel matters.

"Maintaining operations at the Garden is a top priority. As needed, we are engaging temporary staff to support consistent operations," a spokesperson said. "The Garden is not at liberty to discuss personnel decisions or specific agreements we have with our vendors."

"That makes it very clear that the Garden is willing to put way more into certain areas, just not into us, so we will be out here holding strong until they decide to invest in us," Reines said.

Non-union workers say they are beginning to feel the strain from the drop in visitors and an increased workload. One worker who chose to remain anonymous said in a statement: "When it comes to the cancellations and such happening, it affects us who aren't union more than them," adding that "the strikers are making a mockery of what could've been something powerful and the plot is lost."

Boyle pushed back on that characterization.

"I think blaming it on the workers out here striking and not earning wages is the wrong call," Boyle said.

Reines said the union is not backing down.

"We're out here standing strong. We're not going to back down. We're not scared," Reines said. "At the end of the day, a strike is supposed to affect the bottom line, but when they come back to the table and give us a good wage offer, we're going to work our butts off to get them back into higher attendance and better financial state."

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