Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign staff have reached an agreement to unionize with the Campaign Workers Guild (CWG), finalizing a two-year contract that includes overtime pay in excess of 40 hours per week, one floor Salary of at least $ 4,000 per month for full-time workers and unlimited sick leave, employees announced Monday.
Hourly workers for the Ocasio-Cortez campaign will be paid no less than $ 18 an hour, according to a press release. The agreement includes 12 weeks of paid parental leave, bonuses and stipends for distance work expenses and even childcare. Includes severance pay and medical, life, dental and vision insurance.
The contract also includes language that protects immigrant workers and standardizes gender neutrality.
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“We are putting into practice many of the policies that this campaign organizes every day,” said Ariella Schwartz, event manager for the AOC campaign and a member of the negotiating team.
The legislator praised the movement.
“Workers’ rights are the cornerstone of an economy that puts humanity first. I have lived without health insurance or dignity in the workplace, and I applaud the work that our team has done to raise the bar for all workers, “Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., said in a statement.
Meg Reilly, CWG president, told The Intercept that the biggest victory in the contract was overtime pay. “CWG has negotiated dozens of contracts and we have come close, we have fought for overtime on each contract, we have won it very rarely and it is a great cultural change,” said Reilly. “So for these field workers in all industries to get overtime after 40 [hours] it’s monumental. “
The contract also reportedly includes a “gender neutral” section, which says the campaign will notify employees that transgender and non-binary people can use any restroom they feel comfortable with, as well as standardize neutral language as to to gender in incorporation 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 elections of Andrew Yang and Julián Castro.
Ocasio-Cortez won her primaries on June 23 with almost 70 percent of the vote and will likely face a smooth path to re-election in her highly Democratic New York City district.
