AOC’s congressional campaign staff reaches deal to unionize

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign staff has reached a deal to unionize with the Campaign Workers Guild (CWG), finalizing a two-year contract that includes overtime pay above 40 hours per week, a salary floor of at least $4,000 per month for full-time workers and unlimited sick leave, the staffers announced Monday.

Hourly workers for Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign will be paid no less than $18 per hour, a press release said. The agreement includes 12 weeks of paid parental leave, bonuses and stipends for remote-work expenses and even child care. It includes severance pay and health, life, dental and vision insurance.

The contract also includes language protecting immigrant workers and standardizing gender neutrality.

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“We're putting into practice so many of the policies this campaign organizes for every day,” said Ariella Schwartz, events manager for AOC’s campaign and bargaining team member.

The lawmaker praised the move.

“Workers’ rights are the cornerstone of an economy that puts humanity first. I’ve lived without health insurance or dignity in the workplace, and I applaud the work our team has done to raise the bar for all workers,” said Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in a statement.

Meg Reilly, president of the CWG, told The Intercept that the biggest win in the contract was overtime pay. “CWG has negotiated dozens of contracts and we’ve gotten close, we’ve fought for overtime in every contract, we have won it quite rarely and it’s a big cultural shift,” Reilly said. “So for these campaign workers across industries to get overtime after 40 [hours] is monumental.”

The contract also reportedly includes a section on “gender neutrality,” which says the campaign will notify employees that transgender and nonbinary people may use whichever bathrooms they feel comfortable using, as well as standardizing gender-neutral language in onboarding materials.

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The Campaign Workers Guild was formed in 2017 by a group of former campaign workers and has represented workers for dozens of campaigns, including the presidential runs of Andrew Yang and Julián Castro.

Ocasio-Cortez won her June 23 primary with nearly 70 percent of the vote and will likely face a smooth path to reelection in her heavily Democratic New York City district.