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Warren Campaign Moves to Unionize

Campaign authorizes union who opposes Green New Deal to represent them

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June 4, 2019

A majority of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D., Mass.) presidential campaign staffers have authorized the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2320 union to represent them in negotiations, despite the union's international president recently slamming one of the most notable resolutions she cosponsored.

"Nonmanagement campaign employees authorized the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2320 to represent them in negotiations with campaign leadership," CNBC reported.

"We look to move to the table to come to a bargaining agreement that provides pay and benefits and working conditions that are the best in the nation," Steven Soule, the local's business manager told CNBC.

Lonnie Stephenson, the international president of IBEW, and Cecil Roberts, the international president of United Mine Workers of America, sent a letter to the sponsors of the Green New Deal resolution back in March raising concerns over the negative impact the resolution could have on millions of workers.

The Green New Deal is a 14-page economic stimulus resolution that was released in February by self-described democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) that aims to fight income inequality and climate change. In response to the resolution, the union leaders slammed the legislation as a "threat to our members’ jobs and their standard of living" and "causing immediate harm to millions of our members and their families."

The Washington Free Beacon reached out to Soule in response to the report about them representing Warren's campaign staff. When asked about their international president criticizing the Green New Deal, Soule said his role in representing the campaign staffers has nothing to do with the campaign or Warren's stance on policy issues.

He said he is focused on negotiating their benefits, wages, and making sure they are experiencing excellent working conditions.

Warren's campaign isn't the first presidential campaign to attempt to unionize, according to CNBC.

If the effort is recognized, Warren's campaign could be the third presidential campaign in history to unionize. Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign employees became the first to secure a union contract when they did so last month.

Also last month, Democratic contender Julian Castro's staff of several dozen unanimously joined the Campaign Workers Guild. The Castro campaign's union contract is still in the works, according to Sawyer Hackett, the campaign's national press secretary.

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The Warren campaign's bargaining unit is made up of 208 individuals nationwide, according to Soule. He said that the local had yet to sit down with campaign leadership to begin negotiations. The local conducted an authorization card recognition campaign that received third-party verification on Monday.