Bernie Sanders employees unionize first for presidential campaign

Senator Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign announced Friday that it would be the first major presidential campaign to have a unionized membership, while party activists are pushing Democratic candidates to reflect their progressive platforms in their own campaigns.

"Bernie Sanders is the most pro-union candidate in the industry, he will be the most pro-union president in the White House and we are honored that his campaign is the first to have a unionized workforce," the Sanders campaign. Faiz Shakir said in a statement.

History continues below

Last week, the majority of employees in the bargaining unit appointed Local Union 400 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union to represent them. The campaign remained neutral during organizing efforts and voluntarily recognized the union once the majority of employees signed the union card, depending on the campaign and the union.

UFCW Local 400 president Mark P. Federici said in a statement that he hoped this decision would result in pay equity and transparency for Sanders' campaign, without bias or harassment. kind and by "equal treatment for all workers, whether they are in Washington, DC Iowa, New Hampshire or wherever."

Federici added that the union will represent all employees below the rank of deputy director and that negotiations for a collective agreement will "begin as soon as possible".

Outside Sanders, the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julián Castro, pledged to pay all campaign workers at least $ 15 per hour and to support his staff if he decided to organize.

At the mid-point, in 2018, more than 20 democratic campaigns and several political parties were organized as part of the Campaign Workers Guild and other established unions such as the UFCW, while members of the Staff demanded better pay and working conditions, as had been the case during a wider campaign of activists against the party and its elected officials. respect the minimum wage and the union policies they support with respect to their own staff.

In a statement, the Campaign Workers Guild said: "While the Campaign Workers Guild has concerns and questions about the organizing process being undertaken by Bernie 2020 management, their recent announcement shows that we have managed to change the status quo Even for larger campaigns, activists from all workplaces will have unions and unite for their collective empowerment. "