Ro Khanna's staff locks in a first-of-its-kind union deal
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Rep. Ro Khanna following a vote at the Capitol on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Photo: Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Rep. Ro Khanna's staffers have ratified a collective bargaining agreement four years after voting to unionize.
Why it matters: The contract marks a milestone for congressional workers: It is the first long-term labor agreement of its kind in a Capitol Hill office after House staffers gained the right to unionize in 2022.
What they're saying: "I am extremely proud of my office for signing the first long-term union contract in the history of the U.S. Congress," Khanna, who is widely considered a potential 2028 candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, wrote in a Monday morning Instagram post.
Catch up quick: Khanna's office voted to unionize in 2022, amid a wave of other congressional offices pushing to do the same during the Biden administration.
- The House approved a resolution in 2022 giving House staffers the right to collectively bargain.
- The resolution extended organizing protections to more than 9,000 House staffers. Each congressional office operates as its own bargaining unit.
- Supporters pitched unionization as an opportunity to curb turnover, although it did not specifically guarantee staffers the power to negotiate their salaries and benefits.
Zoom in: The agreement ratified by Khanna's staffers reportedly includes a higher salary floor and a process to renegotiate salaries if the office's budget allowance increases, according to Politico, which first reported the news.
- The agreement also includes a mechanism to resolve internal grievances, though no additional details about that process were provided.
- A spokesperson for Khanna's office didn't respond to Axios' request for comment.
Flashback: Former Rep. Andy Levin's (D-MI) staff ratified the first ever contract negotiated by congressional staff in 2022.
- But since Levin was leaving Congress, his contract only lasted a few months. At the time, he said its short duration was intended to give other offices a template for a contract.
Zoom out: House staffers have long complained of low pay and punishing hours. One 2019 survey found 65% worked at least 50 hours a week while still struggling to pay their bills.
- Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) set the minimum annual pay for full-time House staffers at $45,000 in 2022.
- Most members of Congress make $174,000 annually. The Speaker of the House makes $223,500. The president pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority leaders of the both chambers make $193,400.
Go deeper: Record 47% of Americans want more powerful unions
