The Digital Fight for Unionization on Capitol Hill

Congressional Staffers’ Unionization Push Ignited by Viral Instagram Account Exposing Poor Working Conditions

Staffers on Capitol Hill are ramping up their push for unionization in light of viral claims of workplace toxicity. Source: "Capitol Hill, Washington DC" by KP Tripathi (kps-photo.com) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

An anonymously run viral Instagram account has inspired a growing reckoning with poor working conditions for staffers in the nation’s capital, and widespread allegations of low wages, staff diversity issues and a hostile work environment have ignited a renewed push for unionization among Capitol Hill staff.

In light of the growing popularity of the Instagram account @dear_white_staffers, which publishes anonymous reports of workplace maltreatment from aides in lawmaker’s offices on Capitol Hill, the necessity of a congressional workers union has been championed by staffers and politicians alike. With workplace issues put in the spotlight by the virality of grievances aired by congressional aides online, the newly formed Congressional Workers Union launched their formal effort to unionize staff in both lawmakers’ offices and congressional committees on Feb. 4.

In a statement, the Congressional Worker’s Union cited a recent internal poll that found that 91 percent of congressional staffers surveyed want more protections to give them a voice in their workplace. The group said they are seeking "meaningful changes to improve retention, equity, diversity, and inclusion on Capitol Hill."

The Dear White Staffers account serves as a digital outlet for staffers to call out legislative offices for what they view as patterns of workplace toxicity. Reposting direct messages sent to the page from Hill employees, the unnamed account managers — who only identify themselves as “Congressional BIPOC” — focus on documenting racism and a lack of diversity in Congressional offices. In sharing hundreds of horror stories from inside legislative offices that include allegations of harassment, gender and racial discrimination, brutal work hours, microaggressions and poor treatment from chiefs of staff and representatives themselves, Dear White Staffers aims to identify consistently hostile offices and illustrate to both staffers and the public why unionization and workplace reforms are essential.

For many voicing complaints against their offices on Dear White Staffers, low pay is a serious issue. According to a recent report by the cross-partisan nonprofit Issue One, one in eight congressional staffers — or nearly 1,200 workers — are not paid a living wage, many of whom are forced to take on a second job to afford the high expenses associated with living in the district. The report cited data from LegiStorm that found that a staff assistant, the most common entry-level position on Capitol Hill, made a median annual salary of $38,730 in 2020, which is around $4,000 less than the estimated living wage in Washington, D.C. 

A separate survey by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association found that 39 percent of the 516 House and Senate staffers responding said they had to take out loans to cover everyday living expenses. Some of the anonymous posts on Dear White Staffers allege that many staffers have to rely on food stamps to survive in the costly city.

“Our federal laws are being written and edited by folks we can’t pay enough to EAT and pay RENT??” one anonymous responder wrote to Dear White Staffers, according to the Washington Post. 

Congressional unionization efforts have gained significant traction on the Hill through endorsements and signals of support from high-profile political actors, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whose spokesperson announced earlier in the month that she’d offer her “full support” if staffers decided to unionize. Representatives for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-N.Y.) have indicated he also supports the effort.

Notably, House Democrats introduced a resolution on Feb. 9 that would allow staffers to unionize. The legislative effort behind staffer unionization, led by Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), now has over 140 cosponsors and can be passed in the Democratic-controlled House without Republican support. 

“In recent weeks, congressional staff have shared bravely their workplace experiences, good and bad, clearly illustrating their need for the protected right to organize,” Levin said in a statement. "Congressional staff must enjoy the same fundamental rights of freedom of association at work, to organize and bargain collectively for better conditions, that all workers deserve."