CPSA’s 2022 Year in Review
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 31, 2022
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WASHINGTON, DC — As we celebrate the end of the 117th Congress, we wanted to share some of the groundbreaking wins our organizing and advocacy earned us this year.
2022 was CPSA’s first full year as a staff association and our first year with a fully elected steering committee. We are proud to say that in the last 12 months, we too “got sh*t done” for our members and for our shared workplace.
Here’s our Year in Review:
1. Shifted Paradigms Around our Compensation and Won the 21% MRA increase - JANUARY 2022
CPSA changed the conversation around staff compensation in January when we released our Congressional Working Conditions Survey, which drew much needed attention to the dire financial situation facing congressional staff (the finding that 39 percent of surveyed staff were taking out loans to make ends meet remains a gut punch every time we read it). We supported the increase of House office budgets that Speaker Pelosi implemented in March, but we wanted to track the money to ensure it went to staffers, especially junior staffers who are frequently unable to pay their bills, must work second jobs, or are in debt due to the low wages for congressional staffers.
We held our bosses to account with our MRA Survey later that year when we polled over 270 respondents to follow the money. Our findings showed that while these increased funds coincided with raises for House staff, we also discovered that, troublingly, these pay increases have been implemented inequitably, especially for Middle Eastern & North African women staffers. These raise discrepancies are unacceptable. We will push for more equity, transparency, and staff investments in the 118th Congress.
2. Elected First Ever Steering Committee - FEBRUARY 2022
In February we elected the first-ever full CPSA Steering Committee. This leadership group has organized happy hours, led hikes, partnered with outside groups, written letters and statements, posted on our social media page, managed our listserv, and much more. Want to help lead CPSA? The next CPSA Steering Committee elections will be in February 2023, so stay tuned for more if you want to help CPSA in the 118th Congress.
3. House Unionization Resolution - MAY 2022
This was SUCH. A. HUGE. WIN. CPSA was such a proud supporter of the resolution from Congressman Andy Levin allowing House staff to unionize, that we held a solidarity pizza party to watch the final vote.
The passage of H.Res. 1096 finally allowed House congressional staff the fundamental protected right to organize and collectively build toward a stronger, more equitable workplace.
Since then, CPSA has continued to stand proudly with the Congressional Workers Union in its efforts to provide workers in Congress the right to organize. Here’s to more solidarity pizza parties in the years to come.
4. Won a $45,000 House Pay Floor - MAY 2022
We were thrilled to celebrate the Speaker’s rule to establish a pay floor of $45,000 for House staff, following coverage we garnered from our Congressional Working Conditions Survey that spotlighted the extremely low wages congressional staff are paid—despite our daily work to literally keep the government running.
While this was an important step, we still have a long way to go to improve compensation and working conditions on Capitol Hill. Further, we will not forget about our members and colleagues working in the Senate, who are still being denied this same right to unionize, and who can still be paid offensive poverty wages.
5. Senate Salary Floor Letter - JULY 2022
To continue fighting for our members in the Senate, CPSA sent a letter to Senate Leadership signed by 150 current congressional staffers calling for the upper chamber to match the House’s commitment to paying their staff a minimum salary of $45,000 a year.
Advocacy organization Demand Progress Action also sent a letter calling for this pay floor that was signed by over 15 organizations. We’ll continue pressing the Senate to reckon with the abysmal working conditions and pay faced by entry-level and young staffers.
6. Labor Month - AUGUST *and* SEPTEMBER 2022
We love September, and we don’t care who knows! Why? Because September is Labor Month, and CPSA hosted a series of labor-focused workshops, panels, discussions, and happy hours. We were so excited about this year’s Labor Month that we actually started it in August.
7. Scores of Social Events: Happy Hours and Shenandoah Hike - SEPTEMBER 2022
CPSA celebrated National Public Lands Day with its second annual hike in Shenandoah National Park. Dozens of progressive trekked out to the Blue Ridge Mountains to join in on the fun—complete with a picnic!
We hosted happy hours throughout the year for our membership, including with @Dear_White_Staffers (incognito, of course) and with organizers of the Congressional Workers Union.
We can’t go more than a day after a happy hour without someone who was there telling us they’re partnering with a new office on a bill or meeting for drinks with a new friend. Come on out to these HHs people! It’s where the progressives are hanging.
8. Policy Working Group Growth and Climate Activism
In 2022 CPSA launched its policy working groups, organized groups of CPSA members interested in coordinating and forwarding progressive policy across offices. Major shoutout to the Climate Policy Working Group for its effort to push for a climate reconciliation bill that ultimately became the Inflation Reduction Act. Many of our members joined a letter demanding Senate action on climate. Kudos to the Economics Policy Working Group for holding a lively happy hour.
9. Membership Growth
In the past year our membership has almost DOUBLED, making CPSA by far one of the largest staff associations on Capitol Hill with an incredible membership of nearly 1,400 passionate and progressive changemakers and public servants. Tell a friend to join (it’s free)!
10. Overtime Pay and Expanded Paid Parental Leave Benefits for Congressional Staff - DECEMBER 2022
It may be called “Lame Duck” but CPSA finished off the year strong, pushing for overtime pay for congressional staff in a letter sent December 8th with Demand Progress and the Congressional Workers Union. By December 14th, the House had provided us those rights along with parental leave and now allows staffers to use Family and Medical Leave Act leave to care for family members who are active service members or veterans in some circumstances, and revised definitions to be more inclusive to same-sex couples.
It was an absolute buzzer-beater win for staffers, and we’re so proud to have led the charge.
As we wrap up this year, we’re so thankful to our nearly 1,400 members. Congress is staffed by inspiring, hardworking people who give their time, energy, and love to building a better government that works for the people, and we’re honored to help uplift these voices and fight for a better workplace. Here’s to 2022 – the fight continues in 2023!