ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Albemarle County Public School employees are now represented by the Albemarle Education Association, which is part of the larger Virginia Education Association.

This development comes as they enter into a collective bargaining agreement with the school division.

ACPS is one of a few school systems in Virginia to take this step. A law passed in 2020 legalized collective bargaining for public sector employees in the Commonwealth.

Employees will be divided into two bargaining units to negotiate pay, benefits and working conditions.

Alex Groff, a civics teacher at Walton Middle School, said that in his new role as a union leader, he can address the needs of all employees who are ready to join.

"We had a landslide of an election for the AEA over the past couple of weeks. About 90% of licensed staff, including teachers and counselors, responded to the vote, and 98% of those who responded voted yes for the AEA. Additionally, over 50% of our classified staff participated in the vote, and of those, nearly 90% also voted yes," Groff said.

ACPS Superintendent Dr. Matthew Haas said collective bargaining will benefit both employees and the school board.

"It allows them to prioritize what is important in terms of a contract and working with the school system and address day-to-day needs, rather than dealing with many voices with different aims. It also helps our school board prioritize what they will implement to create the best working conditions possible for our staff, which ultimately benefits our students and families,” he said.

Haas also noted that the new system will help ACPS attract teachers and staff by demonstrating a commitment to employee welfare.

The results of the election for representation by the AEA will be certified in the coming weeks. In October, employees will begin meeting by feeder patterns to discuss priorities.