Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., introduced a House resolution Wednesday to give congressional workers legal protection to organize and form a labor union.
should have been passed a generation ago following the passage of the Congressional Accountability Act in 1995. Levin said the Office of Compliance and Workplace Rights ruled in 1996 that the passage of such legislation was the final step to give congressional workers legal protection to organize and bargain collectively.
"My colleagues and I are listening to the workers and taking this first, critical step to get done what we should have decades ago: recognize congressional workers’ right to organize without fear of retaliation," Levin said. The effort comes amid surging popularity of the Instagram account "Dear_White_Staffers," which started posting in early 2020 largely about alleged unequal treatment of minority staffers on Capitol Hill. More recently, the account's served as a clearinghouse for more general complaints about poor pay, alleged harassment and generally poor working conditions – often naming individual members.