Over the past few months an anonymous Instagram page called @dear_white_staffers has slowly gained the attention of mainstream media outlets as Hill staff anonymously detailed incidents of abusive bosses, office micro aggressions and unfair pay.
Among the testimonials, which sometimes name specific lawmakers, is included one instance of a lawmaker throwing a pair of reading glasses at a staffer upon being brought the wrong pair. Other accounts mention lawmakers pushing staffers to drive and purchase them things from stores after hours. Multiple accounts describe staffers having to apply for food stamps after working long hours and receiving an annual salary under $30,000.
“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 statement said. “That starts with having a voice in the workplace. We call on all congressional staff to join in the effort to unionize, and look forward to meeting management at the table”
Last month, a survey by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association found that 91 percent of staff wanted “more protections to give them a voice at work.” However, the statement released by Congressional Workers Union said the effort to unionize comes as a result of “more than a year of organizing.”
Amid the surge in media attention being directed at the @dear_white_staffers account, reporter Pablo Manríquez of Latino Rebels asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday if she would support staffer efforts to unionize. Though she avoided a direct answer then, her Deputy Chief of Staff Drew Hammill later released a tweet stating that staffers would have her “full support” should they decide to form a union.
According to the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR), the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) affords staffers the right to form a union as well as decline to join a union without fear of penalty. In order for a labor organization to become “their exclusive representative,” a majority of employees must vote in favor of unionization during an election supervised and certified by OCWR.
Unlike private sector unions, legislative staffers are not allowed to engage in a work stoppage or slowdown, according to the CAA. They are also not permitted to picket an office if doing so would inhibit that office’s operations.
