CHSA Board of Directors Statement on Ongoing Conversations of Staff Work Conditions and Efforts to Address Them
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association (CHSA) Board of Directors released the following statement in light of recent and emerging conversations about congressional staff work conditions:
“As CHSA’s Board of Directors, we believe it is important to demonstrate our full support for options that would strengthen working conditions, improve pay equity, and increase Latino representation on Capitol Hill, including the efforts of staff to start and join a union if they’d like to.
We have been monitoring the recent developments and conversations regarding workplace conditions for congressional staff. Unfortunately, many of the stories we are reading are not new to many current and former Republican and Democratic congressional staffers. For years, various generations of CHSA have heard similar stories about the need to increase staff pay and implement strong workplace protections.
CHSA has been an active leader in pushing for higher pay, more robust workplace conditions, and resources. We have strongly advocated for collecting data regarding staff salaries, demographics, and critical workplace topics, such as job satisfaction, treatment, and diversity. We have also joined congressional staff associations in sending letters to Congressional leadership urging action to allocate more funding for staff and intern compensation and to strengthen hiring practices.
We will continue calling for action to increase the representation and retainment of Latino staff in Congress. Additionally, we will remain proactive with stakeholders and other staff associations on these in ongoing conversations.”
Staff Resources for CHSA members:
“As CHSA’s Board of Directors, we believe it is important to demonstrate our full support for options that would strengthen working conditions, improve pay equity, and increase Latino representation on Capitol Hill, including the efforts of staff to start and join a union if they’d like to.
We have been monitoring the recent developments and conversations regarding workplace conditions for congressional staff. Unfortunately, many of the stories we are reading are not new to many current and former Republican and Democratic congressional staffers. For years, various generations of CHSA have heard similar stories about the need to increase staff pay and implement strong workplace protections.
CHSA has been an active leader in pushing for higher pay, more robust workplace conditions, and resources. We have strongly advocated for collecting data regarding staff salaries, demographics, and critical workplace topics, such as job satisfaction, treatment, and diversity. We have also joined congressional staff associations in sending letters to Congressional leadership urging action to allocate more funding for staff and intern compensation and to strengthen hiring practices.
We will continue calling for action to increase the representation and retainment of Latino staff in Congress. Additionally, we will remain proactive with stakeholders and other staff associations on these in ongoing conversations.”
Staff Resources for CHSA members:
- Open Session with Senate Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - On Monday, February 7th from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm ET via Zoom. EAP will provide an open, virtual space for our CHSA community to speak safely and freely about the emotional impact of hearing stories regarding staff working conditions.
- Click here for a one-pager on resources provided by the Congressional Staff Academy CAO Coach program to help House staff navigate any challenges relating to jobs in Congress and congressional District offices. We recommend scheduling a confidential, one-on-one appointment with a Coach to receive guidance on specific office/staff issues.