We talked to the congresswoman’s staff about why they formed a union.
By Jacqui Germain, Teen Vogue
Nearly eight months after congressional staffers around the country went public with their union drive, the Congressional Workers Union (CWU) is moving through its first round of union elections. On July 18 — the very day their newly granted right to organize and bargain collectively kicked in — staff aides filed for formal election petitions with the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights in eight House of Representatives offices: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. Jesús García (D-IL), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

Staff workers in Rep. Levin’s office won their union election on Monday. Today, employees in Rep. Omar’s office will learn the results of their election, hopefully making them one of the first congressional offices to unionize in the history of the 233-year-old legislative body.
On the eve of the election results being announced, Teen Vogue spoke with four CWU members working in Rep. Omar’s office — Phillip Bennett, CWU president, and three rank-and-file members, Jacklyn Rogers, Natasha Rice, and Akolade Gbadamosi — about the union drive, the issues they’re organizing around, and their hopes for the future of the CWU. Bennett and Rogers work at the congresswoman’s Capitol Hill office, while Rice and Gbadamosi work in her district office in Minnesota.
Recent Posts
Feeding The Warfare State
July 1, 2025
Take Action Now We Lose, the Weapons Makers WinBy William D. Hartung, Tom Dispatch The Senate is on the verge of passing the distinctly misnamed…
The Rage Of Billionaires And The Frenzy To Stop Zohran Mamdani From Becoming New York’s Mayor
June 30, 2025
Take Action Now The constellation of forces now regrouping with a vengeance includes titans of Wall Street, enormous real estate interests,…
It’s Not Just The Cities. Extreme Heat Is A Growing Threat To Rural America.
June 28, 2025
Take Action Now The urban heat island sits in a rural heat ocean.By Umair Irfan, Vox Summer has officially begun with a blast of scorching…
Mamdani’s Massive Victory Should Show Democrats Where The Party’s Future Lies
June 27, 2025
Take Action Now NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has thrown the drowning Democratic Party a life vest. Will its leaders use it?By Sam…