Philip Bennett spent untold hours last year working a second job. By day, he was scheduler for Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. By night, he was leading the push to unionize not just Omar’s aides but the rest of congressional staff as the Congressional Workers Union’s first president.
His organizing work didn’t pay anything, of course. With her support, Omar’s staff formed their union last autumn, but the pecuniary payoff for that — in the form of higher wages or more time off — won’t come until they sign a collective bargaining agreement, which is still months away.
When that happens, though, Bennett won’t enjoy a pay bump or any extra days off. He left Omar’s office at the start of the year to become operations director for freshman Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa. “I’m not going to benefit from that contract,” Bennett said. “But I’m immensely proud and happy of the workers who will [benefit] in that office.”
