House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said through a spokesperson last week that all Democratic leaders support unionization for congressional staffers, Just the News reported.
The move would likely further hamstring members of Congress in the event that a Republican majority were to take over by forcing them to negotiate with one of Democrats’ top special-interest benefactors and making it more difficult to hire and fire employees in the high-turnover field.
It also might raise questions about how labor-union negotiations might impact federal spending, which already is under fire amid the worst inflation crisis in four decades.
Pelosi had ignored the question on Feb. 3, but the spokesperson stated her support the next day.
“Like all Americans, our tireless congressional staff have the right to organize their workplace and join together in a union,” Drew Hammill said on Pelosi’s behalf. “If and when staffers choose to exercise that right, they would have Speaker Pelosi’s full support.”
Congressional staffers have complained about poor working conditions—including abusive relationships with their bosses, low pay and long hours.
The mistreatment by Democrats including Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington occasionally has made national headlines, with the lawmakers’ public face as staunch advocates of workers’ rights proving to be inconsistent with their private practices.
The Congressional Workers Union claimed 91% of congressional staffers want more representation. However, the group did not mention standard labor concerns, like hours, pay and treatment.
Instead, the CWU will push for “meaningful changes to improve retention, equity, diversity, and inclusion on Capitol Hill.”
In other words, the union will bring anti-white racism, affirmative action, and gender ideology into Congress’s hiring decisions.
When reporters first asked Pelosi about congressional unionization, she demurred.
“Well, we just unionized at the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee], and I supported that, yeah,” she said. “I supported that.”
After Pelosi announced the Democratic leadership’s support, the CWU put the plan into motion.
Today, the Congressional Workers Union announces staff efforts to unionize the offices and committees of the United States Congress. Read our full statement here. pic.twitter.com/pnl7rMhpjB
— Congressional_Workers_Union (@Congress_Union) February 4, 2022
Several Democratic representatives, including the Education and Labor Chairman, immediately announced their support for the planned unionization.
I introduced the #PROAct because I believe that workers must have the right to organize and have a voice in their workplace. Congressional staffers are no exception. ⁰
If staffers decide to form a union, I will be proud to support them.— Rep. Bobby Scott (@BobbyScott) February 4, 2022
