A group of congressional staffers announced on Friday that they are going to form a union “in solidarity with our fellow workers across the United States and the world.”

What You Need To Know

  • A group of congressional staffers announced on Friday that they are going to form a union “in solidarity with our fellow workers across the United States and the world”

  • Working conditions on Capitol Hill have been 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 leaders of the House and Senate each issued statements of support for staffers' efforts to unionize

  • When asked about the effort in an interview with Spectrum News Friday, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh emphasized both his and President Joe Biden's “support for unionization," adding: “I guess I could say ‘good luck'”

"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 group announced in a statement. "That starts with having a voice in the workplace.”

Working conditions on Capitol Hill have been 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.

A growing chorus of lawmakers and officials have come out in support of Congressional staffers unionizing.

“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.

“Like all Americans, our tireless Congressional staff have the right to organize their workplace and join together in a union,” Drew Hammill, a spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote on Twitter. “If and when staffers choose to exercise that right, they would have Speaker Pelosi’s full support.”

When asked about the effort in an interview with Spectrum News Friday, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh emphasized his and President Joe Biden’s “support for unionization," adding: “I guess I could say ‘good luck.’”

More than three dozen Congressional offices have come out in support of unionization, according to a list compiled by Taylor J. Swift of Demand Progress.

“Congressional staff need unions now!” Michigan Rep. Andy Levin wrote on Twitter. “Congress couldn’t run without them and I’m committed to supporting their voice at work.”

"At the request of the new union, next week we will take legislative action to afford congressional staff the freedom to form a union — a fundamental right of all workers," Levin wrote in a subsequent post.

“On Capitol Hill, interns are often unpaid, many staffers don’t make a living wage, and lack of work protections can pave the way for unhealthy environments,” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote, adding that she agrees with Levin. “Sounds like a perfect place for a union.”

 

 

 

“Congressional staff are critical to good governance—yet they have little say in the working conditions in Congress,” said Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. “It’s far past time they had a seat at the table.

"From Starbucks counters to the halls of Congress, every worker deserves the right to unionize," Illinois Rep. Chuy Garcia wrote on Twitter. "Chicago is a union town: my parents' union benefits and my union jobs made me who I am today.  The right to organize is personal for me, and I'm proud to support it in every workplace."