Campaign workers for WV gubernatorial candidate Stephen Smith unionize
CHARLESTON — Campaign workers for West Virginia gubernatorial candidate Stephen Smith have ratified a collective bargaining agreement, becoming the first campaign in West Virginia history to unionize.
This contract provides a stipend to cover technology needs at the time of hire, as well as monthly stipends for healthcare, internet, and cell phone costs and guarantees paid vacation and sick time as needed, sustainable caps on the number of hours worked per day or week and paid parental leave that includes school activities.
“We are a group of young women in West Virginia who are incredibly committed to this job and the potential to make West Virginia a place we can continue to work and live,” said Sarah Hutson, Field Director at Smith for WV. “It was really hard for us, knowing full well what’s on the line here, to sit down and ask for more than what we were receiving. At the end of the day, we focused on creating a contract we felt embodied what our campaign seeks to bring to all West Virginians.”
The union is in keeping with West Virginia's history of a strong and robust labor movement, said Katey Lauer, Smith for WV Campaign Manager.
Read more: https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/campaign-workers-for-wv-gubernatorial-candidate-stephen-smith-unionize/article_5b745d1f-408e-5980-9013-e1784db3dfed.html