GOP House rules meant to kill the new Congressional Workers Union (CWU) “hold no weight” legally, a source from the CWU executive board tells TYT.

While the rules may not be sufficient to kill the union, the source says, they’re meant to stop the growing union’s momentum and intimidate prospective members. House leadership did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new rules, put in place Monday by the new House majority, include language that the source describes as “designed to union bust and prevent House staff from exercising their collective rights.” GOP leadership has yet to take concrete action to enforce the anti-union provisions of the new rules.

During the previous congressional term, when the House was under Democratic control, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) adopted regulations authorizing unionization of congressional staff for the first time.

Last year, then-Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) introduced a resolution, which passed, granting House staffers the right to unionize. More than a dozen member offices have since entered into the unionization process.

The GOP’s new rule reportedly states that the OCWR’s authorization of unions “shall have no force or effect during” the current Congress.

“[W]e're disappointed to see the GOP, [which] poises themselves as the party of the American working class, specifically attack our union with anti-worker, anti-union language,” the union source told TYT. “But we don't plan on stopping.”

According to the source, House Republicans are trying to prevent staffers from exercising their rights in the workplace. But under the union contract signed with Levin’s office, the source says, “[W]e included a clause that said, should this [scenario] happen, the employer will still recognize the union. So, nothing can stop that… if a member chooses to still recognize their staff’s union, this is why language can't stop that.”

The CWU says it has been legally advised and told by Hill experts that the GOP rules changes don’t have any teeth, but they could still be used to dissuade hesitant workers from joining the union.

In order for the CWU to cease to exist, says the source, Congress would have to pass a new law, which would have to clear the Senate; a highly unlikely scenario given the Senate’s Democratic majority, not to mention Pres. Joe Biden’s rhetoric portraying himself as a champion of unions.

Since organizing in 2022, CWU members have won certified union election victories in the offices of Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Melanie Stansbury (D-MN), Cori Bushi (D-MO), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL), and Levin. Those working in Levin’s office successfully negotiated for higher salaries.

Given that the CWU isn’t affiliated with any of the bigger unions yet, it could be seen as a tactic by Republicans to stop that from happening. According to the union’s website, the CWU is currently an independent organization, but members are in “close discussions with several unions regarding potential affiliation and representation.”

If anything, the GOP’s attempt to stymie the CWU’s recruitment and bargaining efforts has emboldened congressional union members, the source said. “[I]t actually made workers more invigorated to want to bargain -- bargain and collectively come together -- because they don't want their right in the workplace to be up in the air just because of whoever the speaker may be, or whatever party may be in power.”

TYT Washington Correspondent Candice Cole was previously a correspondent and senior White House producer for the Black News Channel and has worked at a number of local news outlets. You can find her on Twitter @CandiceColeNews. --