Congressional Workers Union Celebrates Historic Victory After Resolution Passage Grants House Staff Right to Form a Union

“Institutions like Congress aren’t going to just change on their own. They never do. Change is demanded, fought for, and won.” 

Washington, DC (May 11, 2022) — Today, the Congressional workers union released the following statement on House staffs’ newly secured right to form a union and bargain collectively without threat of retaliation, the significance of this historic victory for workers, and what comes next. 

Importantly, the House resolution passed into law Tuesday evening by a vote of 217-202 does not require passage by the Senate to go into effect. CWU’s comprehensive fact sheet on the resolution can be accessed here. 

Congressman Andy Levin, who led his colleagues in introducing the resolution granting House staff this fundamental, long-overdue right, read CWU’s statement aloud at a press conference this morning. 

The Congressional Workers Union said, “First, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Congressman Levin. It’s hard to express how much your leadership and solidarity means to us and all the workers in this institution. 

“EVERY worker deserves the right to form a union and bargain collectively–whether they work at Starbucks, Amazon, or the halls of the U.S. Congress. 

“But for 26 years, Congress failed to give its own workers these basic labor rights - allowing shameful work conditions to stand in the way of Congress’ ability to represent our communities and meet the needs of the American people  – until our collective demands as workers became too loud for them to ignore. 

“Institutions like Congress aren’t going to just change on their own. They never do. Change is demanded, fought for and won. 

“Workers wrote this resolution, prepared a hearing on it, sent memos and vote recs to their bosses, communicated the importance of this action with the public and the press. 

“Thanks to the workers, House staff will now be able to form a union and begin bargaining collectively free from retaliation. This is, and will continue to be, a worker led and worker driven movement. 

“Last night’s vote is a historic, monumental victory: for the ten thousand congressional workers who have won legal protections to organize and bargain collectively without fear of retaliation, for the workers across the country looking to Congress to stand up for their rights, and for the American who expect Congress to work for them, not for powerful special interest. 

“It’s also 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 here in the Peoples’ House.

“So, congratulations to the courageous workers who got us here. The Congressional Workers Union Organizing Committee is honored to lead - and fight alongside you - in this movement.

“Last night’s vote was the first of many tests of whether our bosses are willing to walk the walk on workers’ rights.

"We look forward to meeting at the bargaining table to negotiate the long list of improvements necessary to ensure livable wages, dignified work conditions, and equity on Capitol Hill.”

The House resolution approves regulations issued by the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) under the 1995 Congressional Accountability Act to extend the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute to congressional workers, granting them federally protected rights to organize their workplace without fear of retaliation.

Read CWU’s fact sheet on the resolution here. Click to read Rep. Levin’s Resolution Text and One-pager. 

If you are interested in learning more about Congressional staff organizing efforts or would like to fill out our interest form, visit CongressionalWorkersUnion.org. To inquire for more information, email CongressionalWorkersUnion@gmail.com.

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