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Jan 4, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Democratic National Committee staff votes to unionize

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The DNC headquarters.

DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Democratic National Committee employees voted to unionize on Tuesday.

Details: The DNC staff will join the SEIU Local 500 union, which represents workers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The move represents a significant step in a broader effort to organize political staffers on the left.

  • The vote was approved by former Rep. Donna Edwards, who was selected by both staff and management. DNC executive director Sam Cornale said in a statement that the DNC would voluntarily recognize the SEIU Local 500.
  • Sixty-seven percent of eligible staff were in favor of unionization.

What they're saying: “We are incredibly excited to join SEIU Local 500 to live our Democratic values at our workplace," said DNC staffer and union leader Alison Goh in a statement on Tuesday.

  • "The DNC looks forward to meeting with LocaI 500 and our employee representatives to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement in the near future," Cornale added.
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