STAFF OF EIGHT HOUSE OFFICES CELEBRATE BECOMING FIRST TO UNIONIZE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Congressional Workers Union released the following statement after taking the next step in their organizing drive by filing petitions for representation at the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights for the offices of Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), Rep. Chuy Garcia (IL-04), Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17), Rep. Andy Levin (MI-09), Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-33), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01):

“July 18 will go down as a historic day for congressional staff and our democracy—marking the day our protected rights to organize and bargain collectively go into full effect. After several months of organizing to establish these protections for House staff, we join 85 congressional workers in taking the next step in our organizing drive by filing for a union election in 8 offices in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“For far too long, congressional staff have dealt with unsafe working conditions, unlivable wages, and vast inequity in our workplaces that prevent Congress from properly representing the communities and needs of the American people. Having a seat at the bargaining table through a union will ensure we have a voice in decisions that impact our workplace. 

“From Amazon and Starbucks to the halls of Congress to state legislatures across our country, every worker deserves the protected right of freedom of association, joining together with their colleagues in solidarity to organize and bargain collectively for a better workplace.  We are honored to be welcomed with open arms by workers into a broader labor movement that is sweeping the nation. We look forward to voting enthusiastically UNION YES in the coming weeks and sitting down at the bargaining table with our bosses.”

Congress originally granted bargaining rights to congressional staffers when it passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, but those rights could not be implemented without a further resolution. In February of this year, Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09) introduced a House Resolution to finally grant those rights for House staffers. The House passed Congressman Levin’s resolution on May 10, 2022, triggering a 60-day interim  period, which ended today, marking the first day our bargaining rights are fully protected. 

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