‘Historic Day’ as Staff of 8 House Democrats File for Union Elections
Staffers of eight Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday took a key step toward unionizing by filing petitions for representation at the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
Monday was the first day that congressional staff could make that move after a resolution introduced in February by Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) passed the House in a May party-line vote.
Along with Levin’s staff, the offices of Democratic Reps. Cori Bush (Mo.), Jesús “Chuy” García (Ill.), Ro Khanna (Calif.), Ted Lieu (Calif.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), and Melanie Stansbury (N.M.) are seeking union elections.
“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,” said the Congressional Workers Union (CWU) in a statement.
“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,” CWU noted. “Having a seat at the bargaining table through a union will ensure we have a voice in decisions that impact our workplace.”
“We are bringing worker power and equitable conditions to one of the most powerful institutions in the world,” tweeted Saul Levin, a policy adviser to Bush. “And we are just getting started!”
Some lawmakers whose offices are organizing welcomed the development on Monday. Omar tweeted “union strong” and said in a statement that “as a former union member, I’m incredibly proud of the staffers in my congressional office who took steps to start the process of unionization.”
“Every worker deserves a living wage and a union, including in the halls of Congress,” she added.
Congressman Levin said in a statement that “I am so proud of the staffers who made a historic move today in seeking union recognition in eight offices with over 70 workers in the House, and I am incredibly humbled and honored to have played a modest role in helping realize the hard work of congressional staff who fought to make this moment possible.”
Originally published at Commondreams.org.
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