Kennedy Center staff to vote to unionize amid Trump changes and ongoing uncertainty

Staff employees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. announced this week an intent to unionize across departments and argue for collective bargaining rights. The effort comes amid months of layoffs and job uncertainty following major changes brought on by the Trump administration.

According to multiple staff members who spoke to CBS News on the condition of anonymity, more than 150 employees that handle crucial responsibilities for the Kennedy Center — including education, donor relations, and arts programming — are sounding the alarm that the mission and legacy of the storied arts institution are at risk unless a sense of normalcy is returned to everyday operations.

“We are the ones that put the artists in the classrooms and on the stages,” one Kennedy Center education staff member told CBS News.

After multiple departments have been shuttered completely, the staff member said she is hoping unionization will restore a sense of security for those remaining, as well as improve transparency and communication from leadership, which she says has been lacking.

“We’re trying to carry out the work the best we can. But anxiety and fear exist with so many departments experiencing layoffs,” she said. “And they happen quickly, with very little notice.”

Back in February, President Trump installed himself as the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the storied arts institution while firing then-Chairman David M. Rubenstein and 18 members of the bipartisan board, replacing the vacancies with White House appointees.

Following the vote, Mr. Trump dismissed much of the Kennedy Center’s executive leadership, including President Deborah Rutter, who served in the role for more than a decade.

When asked in a March interview with Norah O’Donnell what the hardest part of these changes is, Rutter replied, “I think the sting is the disregard for expertise and experience. We were working toward something extraordinary.”

The Trump administration has said an overhaul is needed because the marquee arts center is “woke … and broke.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request by CBS News for comment on Friday.

But staff members on the ground have heard little from the top on what these changes may include. Staff members told CBS News that no typical quarterly all-staff meeting has been held, and weekly departmental updates have ceased. Ticket sales are reportedly down 50% this quarter, but employees have stopped receiving regular ticket sales reports. Workers believe they are flying blind.

After the initial wave of firings in February, broader layoffs have continued in recent weeks. The entire social impact team was let go in late March, and just this week, an international arm of the programming department was laid off, jeopardizing efforts to get talented artists from outside the United States booked for this season.

“These teams are small, and they’re close. We’re all friends. So, it’s hard to see your friends lose their jobs, and they’re the ones telling us,” one programming staff member admitted. “But more than that, there’s uncertainty [over] what jobs still need to be done and what is being shelved.”

There’s been intensified concern about the fundraising efforts for the non-profit organization, which brought in an estimated $141 million in grants and donations in fiscal year 2023. The development department, which operated with about 90 employees for years previously, has been reduced to about 30 presently on staff, leaving major holes in budgeting and donor cultivation duties.

The petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday indicates that 172 regular full-time and part-time employees plan to vote to unionize with the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, commonly known as UAW. The workers range across departments handling development, education, marketing, programming, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.

“Unionizing is a call for transparency and to protect jobs,” said another staff member. “We are a ground-up, employee-led movement of Kennedy Center employees. And when we win this vote, we will have secured the future of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for another 53 years, in its original non-partisan, non-political way.”

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was founded in 1971 as a national cultural center and memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Its annual honors ceremony, which airs on CBS, features the best in music, theater and dance.

Staff believe they have well over the simple majority of 50% to unionize, and generally have overwhelming support from everyone in the building for their effort. The vote is expected to take place in the coming weeks.