CWU ANNOUNCES FIRST RATIFIED CONTRACT IN CONGRESSIONAL HISTORY

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Congressional Workers Union (CWU) released the following statement after staff in the Office of Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI) ratified the first ever contract negotiated by Congressional staff in the history of the U.S. Congress:

“At the beginning of the year, the Congressional Workers Union went public with our unionization drive, demanding that Members of Congress extend the full protections under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1996 to the workers in their own offices and make good on their commitment to workers’ rights. 

“Now, as we close the year, Congressional staff successfully walked away from the bargaining table for the first time in history after exercising their voice in the workplace. This moment is a reminder of the sheer power of collective action and what the freedom to form a union truly means — democracy not just in our elections, but in our very own workplaces here in the People’s House. 

“After over 20 hours at the table, workers in the Office of Congressman Andy Levin ratified an agreement with Congressman Andy Levin in the final days of the 117th Congress. This historic contract sets a bold precedent for bargaining collectively on working conditions of Congressional staffers in unionized offices. Worker wins secured in the contract include: robust salary increases, compensation time, telework benefits, and expansive protections of the ability to conduct union work on official time—and a guarantee that the agreement will be enforced regardless of whether Congress undermines labor rights in the future. 

“We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Andy Levin who, in his final days in Congress, stood true to his long-standing devotion to the labor movement and to workers on the Hill. We are so thrilled to go to the table next Congress with the workers in Representatives Omar, Stansbury, Bush, Khanna, Garcia, and Lieu’s offices and many additional offices to come, and we are excited to keep up our momentum and build on the progress achieved at the table.

“Finally, we would like to thank the thousands of workers who bravely shared stories of their workplace conditions, shining a light into the halls of Congress and paving a bright future for generations of workers to come. Solidarity!”

Staff who are interested in joining congressional staff organizing efforts can email CongressionalWorkersUnion@gmail.com. To learn more about CWU, visit CongressionalWorkersUnion.org.