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Bernie Sanders' Presidential Campaign & Campaign Staff Ratify Union Contract


Recently, the Bernie Sanders campaign and its campaign staff ratified a union contract, marking a major step forward for unions in the country.  (This comes on the heels of the Sanders campaign voluntarily recognizing the union back in March.)  With the ratification of the union contract, it is believed that the Sanders campaign for President is the first Presidential campaign to be unionized.  The union that will be representing the Sanders 2020 campaign workers, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400, lauded the ratification as a win for the working class.

The contract appears to include full health benefits (including the campaign covering the entire health insurance premiums for those workers making under $36,000.00), a minimum $20/hour in pay for interns, overtime pay for all hourly employees, "robust anti-discrimination protections," up to 20 days of vacation pay, regularly scheduled staff breaks throughout the day, and time off between long shifts.  As well, one of the more notable provisions in the contract is the pay limit for top campaign officials, capped at no more than three times the highest paid worker in the bargaining unit.  (However, outside consultants do not fall within this restriction.)

I would expect this announcement will assist Senator Sanders as he continues to court the support of labor unions in his campaign for President.  Whether other staffs follow suit and ratify union contracts with their campaign workers will be something to keep an eye on as the Presidential nomination process unfolds.


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