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The Campaign Workers Guild (CWG) continues its run of organizing victories with a second collective bargaining agreement in Minnesota. The contract was unanimously ratified by workers for Adam Jennings for Congress, a progressive candidate for MN-3. CWG is a new, independent national union, representing non-management workers on electoral and issue-based campaigns.
“Jennings for Congress campaign workers reached out with a list of clear proposals they wanted to see in a contract—they were so well organized,” said Colin O’Neill, volunteer field representative for the Campaign Workers Guild. “It’s really exciting to see our second unionized team in Minnesota. The Guild looks forward to fighting for fair labor standards across the state and nation as we move deeper into campaign season.”
The Guild has operated with the nimbleness of a worker center while leveraging the legal benefits of a traditional union. Like a worker center, they are focused on organizing workers long seen as unorganizable due to their temporary status. They also organize smaller groups of workers than is typical for a traditional union.
Field organizer Walker Reiss is, “…proud to work on the most progressive campaign in Minnesota’s 3rd. I think it’s important to be a part of a movement to bring higher labor standards to campaigns nationwide.” The campaign’s Deputy Manager, McCaulay Singer-Miles, added, “I’m especially glad to underscore the need for parental leave time in our contract.”
Ihaab Syed, Secretary of CWG, explained that what they have found among campaign workers. “People are excited to have a an opportunity to have a voice in the workplace.” The Guild is an assortment of exploited workers, “that can benefit a lot from asserting collective power in the workplace.” The Guild has blown through their own organizing goals in a short period of time, “finding support in places we didn’t expect. The two campaigns in Minnesota are huge,” Syed said. In an industry that is rarely the focus of organizational efforts, their quick wins have been encouraging.
The Guild’s first organizing victory was the campaign of Wisconsin Democratic congressional candidate and iron worker Randy “Iron Stache” Bryce. Once thought of as a longshot to defeat Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, Ryan’s recent retirement announcement has political observers believing that Bryce now has a chance, elevating his own standing as a serious national political candidate, and by extension the organizing work of the Guild. The Campaign Workers Guild has made significant wins within marginal campaigns; however, winning Speaker Ryan’s seat would be not only a symbolic victory, but would increase the visibility and legitimacy of the Guild’s organizational efforts.
Defending the Rights of Workers
The Guild’s mission statement explains that,
“We, as campaign staff, believe that campaigns cannot fully fight for workers’ rights while they’re exploiting their own campaign staff. Pro-labor candidates must hire unionized organizers; if they don’t, they’re not pro-labor. Working from one election cycle to the next should not mean working from paycheck to paycheck. It shouldn’t mean having to put up with unsafe housing and abusive bosses. And it should never mean staying silent about sexual harassment or racism out of fear of being blacklisted.”
Campaign Workers Guild member D. Raja Sandor has worked on campaigns for the last two years, serving on staff as an organizer, a Deputy Data Director, and a Field Director. He has worked as a paid staff member on presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, and mayoral campaigns.
On April 16, the Guild announced that Sandor was offered a field director position with the Angela Alioto for San Francisco 2018 mayoral campaign over the phone, which he immediately accepted. Later that day, he disclosed to campaign management that he was born without arms.
Within an hour and a half of Sandor disclosing his physical disability, the Alioto campaign rescinded its offer of employment, claiming that someone to whom they had previously offered the position had finally responded, so it was no longer available. Sandor is considering pursuing legal action. CWG Executive Council Member Jeremy Parkin further elaborated that, “To have an offer of employment rescinded in this manner is egregious and has no place in our politics or our political campaigns.”
Sandor stated that,
“The work that I’ve done on campaigns is incredibly important, and it’s counterintuitive to me that candidates fighting for unions and the right to unionize would engage in unfair hiring practices. Along with personal experiences of being discriminated against, I decided to join CWG because this work is too important to allow outdated ideas of proficiency to determine the eligibility of workers in this field.”
Syed explains that it’s important to embrace diversity in all its forms. Workers across the spectrum of sexual orientation, gender, race, and physical ability are able to participate, stating that, “Unionizing is way we see to diversify campaigns.” Since many pursue political office through early work experience on political campaigns, a more diverse campaign staff increases the possibility of making political office more accessible to diverse communities who in the past didn’t see political office as a possibility.
For Syed, “What’s happening in the next few months is promising.”
Sandor’s experience comes at a time when many candidates are building up their staff in anticipation of the 2018 electoral cycle. In response, the Guild is working to elevate the stories of campaign workers across the nation. They have set up a page on their website for workers to share their campaign stories.