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Shop NowThe U.S. House of Representatives voted to enable Congressional employees to unionize to resolve their issues relating to compensation. The movement was supported by the Congressional Workers Union, which states staffers’ wages do not fulfill the high expense of living in Washington DC.
The union announced that a Congressional Progressive Staff Association study discovered 91% of personnel desired “more protections to give them a voice at work.”
“While not all offices and committees face the same working condition, we strongly believe that to better serve our constituents will require meaningful changes to improve retention, equity, diversity, and inclusion on Capitol Hill,” the union said on Twitter. “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.”
Michigan Representative Andy Levin presented the measure that changes the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to enable unionization.
A previous labor organizer, Levin stated the staffers associated with the push for a union would choose how the collective bargaining was carried out.
“It’s their organizing campaign. It’s not about us,” he said in February. “I’m just here to shepherd the legislation that gives them their legal rights that they should have had a long time ago.”
Levine stated enhancing working conditions for assistants might reduce staffing turnover rates, increase the House’s efficiency, and enable individuals who would not have the ability to manage the capital’s expense of living to take tasks with Congress.
“You don’t want only children of the privileged to be able to work here because somehow their family can support them,” Levin said, per The Hill.
According to compensation management platform Payscale, Washington DC’s “cost of living is 39% higher than the national average,” with housing costs “148% higher than the national average,” grocery prices “10% higher than the national average,” and “transportation expenses … 5% higher than the national average.”
More than 130 congressional Democrats supported the brand-new guideline, consisting of all of the Michigan delegation, noted The Detroit News.
Not all leading Democrats have actually backed the procedure. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin stated he would need to consider the nuanced result of the possible union previously this year.
“I’ve always been a big supporter of the unions, having a right to unionize. … I’m here at the will and pleasure of the people. They have a chance to change and things of that sort,” Manchin said to The Hill. “So we got to make sure we’re doing it and doing it right. My greatest thing is to have the best staff I possibly can to serve the people of West Virginia.”
Illinois Rodney Davis, a Republican, likewise revealed issues about the Congressional Staff Union.
During a March hearing of the Committee on House Administration, Davis stated he supports unions however that one for aides could be “impractical” and increase “dysfunction in Washington.”
“This is a concept that could create numerous conflicts of interest and impact members’ constitutional responsibilities to the American people without the guarantee that any improvement for staff wellbeing would actually materialize,” Davis said.
His concerns were shared by Georgia Representative Barry Loudermilk and Missouri Senator Roy Blunt.
“It’s like there are 535 employers,” said Blunt, who serves on the Senate Rules Committee. “I don’t know quite how that fits into any traditional union structure unless you have multiple unions.”
“Tonight is a reminder of the power of collective action and what the freedom to form a union truly means — democracy not just in our elections, but in our workplaces too,” the CWU said in a statement.
The union asked congressional employees to take part in two rallies to “celebrate the passage of resolutions and Mark the next phase of union drive.”
The step entered into instant impact after your house’s 217-208 vote as no action is required from the Senate.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated she would offer her “complete assistance” to Congressional personnel looking for to unionize.
“Like all Americans, our tireless Congressional staff have the right to organize their workplace and join together in a union,” said Pelosi’s Cheif of Staff Drew Hammil.
Pelosi also signaled her interest in aides working conditions in current weeks by setting the minimum yearly pay at $45,000.
H/T Timcast
