House Republicans thought they could stop congressional staffers from unionizing just by banning unions, but that’s not how the law works.
One of the immediate priorities for House Republicans when they take the majority is banning congressional staffers from unionizing. Democrats emboldened the unionization effort last fall, and House Republicans thought they could stop unionization by banning unions, but they appear to be wrong.
Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) tweeted:
GOP may be so reflexively anti-union that they want to strip their employees of the chance to form one—but it’s not that easy. Under the Congressional Accountability Act, rights that have been implemented can’t simply be taken away absent new legislation to change the Act itself. https://t.co/J74cowuhy3
— Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) January 2, 2023
The idea that unions make staffers less accountable to their elected bosses is nonsense. What the union does is give workers protections and rights.
Republicans can’t agree on who should be the next Speaker of the House and are preparing for what could be a brutal floor fight on Tuesday. At the same time, they appear not to understand how legislation works. They can’t walk into the chamber on Tuesday at noon and undo legislation at their whim.
“Because I said so” is not part of the legislative process.
House Republicans are off to a spectacularly wrong start, and if this is the way that they plan to try to govern, Democrats should start counting down the days until they retake the majority.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
