ICYMI: CWU SECURES ADVANCE PAY FOR STAFF IN PREPARATION FOR A POTENTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Washington, DC – The Congressional Workers Union (CWU) worked alongside its members to negotiate and secure advance pay ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 per staffer in preparation for a potential government shutdown that would cause a disruption in pay. This historic victory gives Congressional staffers certainty about covering the cost of rent, groceries, childcare, and other basic expenses in the event of a government shutdown that could last for an indefinite length of time.

New York Times: Across Washington, Officials Brace for Government Shutdown

By Robert Jimison and Kayla Guo | 9.22.23 

The Congressional Workers Union, which has been organizing around advance pay requests, projects that more than 100 unionized House staffers will receive early pay ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 in preparation for a one- to two-month shutdown. This would be the first time a shutdown has taken place since some congressional staff unionized in 2022.

“We still have to make rent, a lot of us are paying for child care, we have to buy groceries. There’s a sense of responsibility to come together and make sure that we’re all going to be OK as we work to reopen the government,” Emma Preston, the union’s president, said.

Bloomberg Government: Capitol Hill Staffers Fret About Missing Paychecks in a Shutdown

By Maeve Sheehey | 9.19.23 

The Congressional Workers Union, a group advocating for better working conditions on the Hill, is giving its members guidance on how to ask for advance payments to help weather a possible shutdown.

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Congressional workers who have been vocal in asking for better working conditions say the stresses of a potential shutdown point to the need for higher beginning salaries on the Hill. The Congressional Workers Union is working to show a link between labor movements that are popular among lawmakers, like United Auto Workers’ efforts, and conditions in lawmakers’ own offices.

“Members who are supporting the labor movement publicly, especially with the UAW strikes — we would hope that they are showing support for their own staff through such a difficult time,” said Sarah Drory, vice president of communications for the Congressional Workers Union.

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