CWU Labor Month Newsletter!
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Happy Labor Month, folks!
HOUSE PAY FLOOR
With your help, the Congressional Workers Union’s (CWU) organizing drive secured a historic minimum pay floor of $45,000 for the House, effective September 1, 2022. This policy will lift thousands of workers out of poverty! Congressional staff that occupy a permanent position in a Members’ personal office, Committee, Officer, or Leadership office would be subject to the $45,000 minimum annual rate of pay. Offices will have until Thursday, September 15 to submit payroll transactions to effectuate a change for their staff to ensure they are compliant. The Office of Payroll and Benefits will notify offices that have employees that do not meet the minimum annual rate of pay, based on their position type.
CWU X CPSA LABOR MONTH
It’s almost September, and you know what that means: the Congressional Progressive Staff Association’s upcoming annual Labor Month! More on the cool programming ahead:
Wednesday, August 31st, 2:00-3:00pm ET: What’s the Deal with the MRA? CPSA Presents *NEW* Survey Results! Join CPSA for a virtual presentation on recent survey results regarding staff salaries on the House and Senate sides, with a Q&A to follow.
Friday, September 2nd, 6:00pm ET: Labor Month Kick-off Happy Hour! Come to Hi-Lawn (on the roof of Union Market) for snacks, drinks, and new friendships with fellow progressive staffers.
Tuesday, September 6th, 2:00pm ET: Working and Organizing on the Hill: Panel and Workshop (WITH CWU)! Tune in for a virtual panel featuring workers from across the Hill. We’ll talk about all the ways our efforts intersect and discuss differences in workplace conditions across sectors. After the panel, CPSA will host a workshop with the Congressional Workers Union!
WHAT ABOUT THE SENATE?
On July 18, House staff organizing protections came into effect, with the first 8 offices in Congressional history filing for union elections. To date, Senate and some joint staff cannot collectively bargain until the chamber approves regulations adopted by the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. Don’t worry–CWU is still hard at work building worker power in both chambers. If you know a Senate staffer interested in talking to a CWU organizer, please have them fill out the CWU Interest Form here. Make sure you download the Signal messaging app so an organizer from CWU can get in touch through a secure and encrypted platform regarding next steps.
PEEP THIS:
Did you know you can look at how your office spends its budget each quarter? This is called the Statement of Disbursements (SOD). Last week the House SOD for April 1 - June 30, 2022 was published HERE. You can even go back to 2009 for archived SODs to see how offices spent their budget.
Things to look for :
Salary (personnel costs)
Mailing expenses
Equipment expenses (printers, computers)
MUST READ:
Got Questions? > We've got you covered!
Take a look at our updated explainers!
What does the House resolution actually DO? Let us tell you.
What the heck is the Congressional Accountability Act aka the CAA? Pause, please read this.
WHY ORGANIZE? WHY NOT.
Drop these links to a coworker!
ICYMI: POWER OF UNIONS IN CONGRESS
If you missed Demand Progress’s Power of Unions in Congress panel last month, catch up on the video here. They covered all you need to know about where things stand and the fight yet to come.
E-BOARD:
CWU announced our Interim Executive Board last month! Learn more on our website.
Did we miss something? Let us know -> CongressionalWorkersUnion@gmail.com
In Solidarity,
CWU Interim Executive Board