President Joe Biden is endorsing congressional staff efforts to unionize after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was criticized for causing confusion with her initial reaction.
“He does,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday. “He 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.”
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Pelosi referred to how the majority of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s workforce voted last month to join with the Teamsters union when asked last week whether she would back Capitol Hill aides who are also potentially negotiating with lawmakers together for better salaries and conditions. The Democratic National Committee also announced similar plans in January with the Service Employees International Union.
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill later clarified she believed “tireless” congressional office and committee staff have the right to unionize too.
Pelosi and Hammill’s comments have triggered a complicated unionization process, mostly driven by the unaffiliated Congressional Workers Union, covering the House and the Senate. The group is lobbying for Capitol Hill-wide organizing protections while imploring individual lawmakers to recognize employee unions voluntarily.
“Dear White Staffers,” a viral liberal-leaning Instagram account anonymously chronicling allegations of congressional aide mistreatment and inequity, including low pay and long hours, has energized the Capitol Hill union movement.
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Michigan Democratic Rep. Andy Levin has already signaled his intention to introduce a unionization resolution for the House. But the broader push is likely to face opposition in both chambers from Republicans representing right-to-work states.
