House Democrats voted overwhelmingly to allow thousands of congressional aides working on their personal office staffs to form unions with the power to bargain collectively on their working conditions.
On a 217–202 vote on May 10, the House adopted a resolution introduced by Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) to approve regulations required under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 in order for unions representing congressional aides to be officially recognized.
The 1995 measure was part of then-Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” slate of proposals that helped Republicans win majorities in both the Senate and House for the first time in 40 years in the 1994 midterm elections.
The congressional union authorization provision, however, received little attention at the time.
But nothing happened in the decades thereafter that led to unions for the estimated 12,000 mostly young men and women who work for individual senators and representatives, as well as congressional committees.
The House action on May 10 applies only to aides working for members of the lower chamber. The Senate still must act to authorize the unions for upper chamber aides to be organized.
All 217 votes for the Levin resolution were cast by Democrats, while Republicans were unanimously opposed to the proposal.
The Michigan Democrat, who was a labor union organizer before being elected to Congress, said, “Congressional staff are joining a broader movement of workers in our society who are organizing, bargaining collectively, and stepping up to make clear that they want more of a voice in their workplaces.
“I’m so proud that Congressional Democrats upheld our values of believing in the collective voice today.
“If there is any place in the country that needs to walk the walk and respect the will of workers, it is the U.S. Congress—the bedrock of democracy.
“We cannot stop fighting until every worker in the country can form a union without interference.”
“Tonight is 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 too.
“To our fellow congressional workers: today belongs to us. Tomorrow, we continue the fight—solidarity forever and onwards!”
Schuman also said that as a result of recent actions taken by congressional leaders—including boosting the minimum salary for a House aide to $45,000 annually—"this House of Representatives has done more to strengthen the Legislative Branch than any Congress in the last 30 years.”
Republicans, including Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), predict the unionization drive will harm the ability of Congress to get things done, and they note that it remains unclear exactly how unions will be able to bargain collectively on working conditions.
“While unions play a vital role in many workplaces, including throughout my district, they just aren’t feasible for Congress.
Davis is the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, which oversees much of the day-to-day management of the lower chamber’s operations, including how the soon-to-be-formed unions will function.
“One of the main concerns of staffers is low pay, yet collective bargaining would not and could not address the issue, as federal law forbids this. Instead, union dues would just take more money out of staff’s hard-earned paychecks without really anything to show for it,” Davis argued.
“Unionization also creates potential conflicts of interest that could impact a member’s constitutional responsibilities, including unique influence over a member’s development and passage of certain legislation, and political contributions to members using dues paid by their staff.
“As a reminder, under current law, congressional staff are not allowed to make political contributions to their employers.”
For all these reasons, Davis said, “It’s clear that unions don’t make sense for Congress.”
