Staffers in Eight House Offices File Union Organizing Petitions

WASHINGTON — Staffers in eight congressional offices have formally applied for recognition of their union by the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.

The staffers are all members of the recently formed Congressional Workers Union. They work in the offices of Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Andy Levin, D-Mich., Ted Lieu, D-Calif., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M.

“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,” the union said in a written statement. “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 eight 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,” the union said. “Having a seat at the bargaining table through a union will ensure we have a voice in decisions that impact our workplace.” 

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, Levin introduced a House resolution to grant those rights for House staffers. 

The House passed Levin’s resolution on May 10, 2022, triggering a 60-day interim period, which ended Monday, marking the first day the bargaining rights are fully protected. 

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