Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign is reportedly locked in a labor dispute with workers who say they want to be payed an annual salary that would equal the $15 hourly wage that Sanders says should be the minimum for all workers.
Campaign workers have reminded Sanders’ campaign manager Faiz Shakir of the Democratic presidential candidate’s commitment to a $15-an-hour minimum wage, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post, published Thursday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks while introducing health care legislation titled the “Medicare for All Act of 2019” with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Sen. Jeff Merkley, during a news conference on Capitol Hill, on April 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Sanders has made a point of lecturing large companies like Walmart and McDonald’s about greater salary compensation for their workers while he has highlighted his own campaign workers being the first unionized personnel in a presidential run. The House of Representatives approved legislation Thursday that would raise the minimum wage to $15/hour by 2025. (RELATED: The Key To Winning In 2020 Will Be Properly Explaining Socialism, Says Bernie Sanders)
But apparently, unionization has not brought the salary demands that the workers are reportedly asking for and Shakir has not talked about the dispute until now. Correspondence reviewed by the Post suggests the disagreement has been a source of contention since May.
According to the Post, the Sanders campaign issued a statement Thursday that celebrated the unionized workers, but was not specific about what pay they are receiving.
“We know our campaign offers wages and benefits competitive with other campaigns, as is shown by the latest fundraising reports,” Shakir said. “Every member of the campaign, from the candidate on down, joined this movement in order to defeat Donald Trump and transform America. Bernie Sanders is the most pro-worker and pro-labor candidate running for president. We have tremendous staff who are working hard. Bernie and I both strongly believe in the sanctity of the collective bargaining process and we will not deviate from our commitment to it.” (RELATED: Bernie Sanders, Climate Hawk Spends Nearly $300K On Private Jet Travel In A Month)
Sanders has not commented on the dispute or how much his workers are paid. The Daily Caller has reached out to his campaign office to ask what wage campaign staff receive.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
A statement from the union emphasized the “many internal avenues” the workers have access to but did not mention salary either.
“As union members, the Bernie 2020 campaign staff have access to myriad protections and benefits secured by their one-of-a-kind union contract, including many internal avenues to democratically address any number of ongoing workplace issues, including changes to pay, benefits, and other working conditions,” the statement read, according to the Post. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with our members and the management of the Bernie 2020 campaign to ensure all workers have dignity and respect in the workplace.”
In his first year of being a millionaire, Sanders gave less than one percent of his salary to charity.