Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are divided over whether congressional staffers should be allowed to unionize after a group announced their intent to do so late last week.
In a statement released on Friday, the Congressional Workers Union – which is not yet a union, but a volunteer group of staffers attempting to create one – announced they had commenced “efforts to unionize the personal offices and committees of Congress, in solidarity with our fellow workers across the United States and the world.”
“While not all offices and committees face the same working conditions, we strongly believe that to better serve our constituents will require meaningful changes to improve retention, equity, diversity, and inclusion on Capitol Hill,” the letter added. “That starts with having a voice in the workplace. We call on all congressional staff to join in the effort to unionize, and look forward to meeting management at the table.”
The union will fight for fair pay, workplace safety and dignity, among other issues.
According to the 2021 House Compensation and Diversity Study, the median annual income of a House staffer was $59,000; under 40% of the 5,777 respondents in the survey felt their salary was sufficient given their position. One estimate from SmartAsset found that to afford the average $2,051 monthly rent on a one-bedroom apartment in Washington, D.C., an individual would have to earn an annual income upwards of $87,000.
A number of top Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have voiced support for the staffers’ efforts. Biden has frequently pledged to be “the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history.”
“[Biden] supports the right of any individual to seek to join a union, to collective bargain, and of course Capitol Hill staffers are certainly individuals who are pursuing that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.
Democratic leaders from both the House and the Senate have also recently signaled their approval for the unionization of staff members on Capitol Hill.
“Like all Americans, our tireless Congressional staff have the right to organize their workplace and join together in a union,” Drew Hammill, deputy chief of staff for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tweeted last week. “If and when staffers choose to exercise that right, they would have Speaker Pelosi’s full support.”
“Leader Schumer believes that hard-working Senate staff have the right to organize their workplace and if they chose to do so, he would support that effort,” a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.
And Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., last week pledged to introduce a resolution that would allow House staff to form unions.
Other Democrats have been less vocally enthused about the prospect. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., on Tuesday said while he is a “big supporter of the unions,” lawmakers and their staff are beholden to constituents. Still, the moderate Democrat did not rule out the possibility of supporting a congressional union, should the need arise.
“When you’re working for tax dollars and you’re [at] will and pleasure, I’m here at the will and pleasure of the people,” he told Politico. “They have a chance to change and things of that sort so we’ve got to make sure we’re doing it and doing it right.”
On Monday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., threw cold water on the proposal.
“No. I don’t think it would be productive for the government,” he told Punchbowl News of the effort to unionize staffers on Capitol Hill. In a separate conversation with the outlet, McCarthy emphasized that Republicans are the “American workers’ party.”
While congressional staffers have technically been allowed to unionize for over two decades, working conditions on Capitol Hill have been recently highlighted thanks to an Instagram account known as dear_white_staffers, which has featured the testimony of congressional staffers anonymously detailing their experiences about what it’s like to work in Congress.
The account was created in January of 2020, and now boasts more than 36,000 followers. The individual, or individuals, behind the account remain anonymous.
The Congressional Workers Union says they are not affiliated with the Instagram account, nor with any specific member of Congress.
Spectrum News’ Justin Tasolides contributed to this report.
