On Thursday, workers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced their intent to form a union with the UAW after waves of layoffs and President Trump’s takeover of the board in February.
Organized under the name Kennedy Center United Arts Workers, the bargaining unit would cover administrative and production staff in the programming, education, development and marketing departments as well as those working for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera. More than 90 workers have signed union authorization cards, which have been submitted to the National Labor Relations Board.
“We demand transparent and consistent terms for hiring and firing, a return to ethical norms, freedom from partisan interference in programming, free speech protections, and the right to negotiate the terms of our employment,” the union said in a social media post. “Union organizing is an unparalleled method of gaining power in the workplace and advancing our shared goals—including preservation of our world class artistic programming and industry leading workforce. Forming as Kennedy Center United Arts Workers will position us firmly inside a powerful local—and national—network of unionized workers fighting for workplace rights and fair treatment.”
AFL-CIO Daily Brief