UNITING TOGETHER FOR ARTS

TOGETHER FOR THE KENNEDY CENTER

The Kennedy Center is a storied building, but it is the people who make the institution work.

As the United Arts Workers of the Kennedy Center, our work is built on relationship and trust. Our artists, educators, students, donors, and patrons trust that we have their best interests at heart. And as staff, we trust that the institution will value and support us in exchange for being the workers who carry out its mission with joy and success. 

But on February 12, 2025, the Kennedy Center’s board was stripped of its bipartisan structure. Our reputation as arts professionals was questioned and we were threatened with censorship. Instantly, that trust was broken. We no longer believe our institution trusts us and we no longer trust our institution.

In this time of upheaval and uncertainty, we are taking collective action to form a union. Our union is fighting to rebuild and defend the trust that has been broken.

“Those who would destroy or further limit the rights of organized labor - those who would cripple collective bargaining or prevent organization of the unorganized - do a disservice to the cause of democracy.”

- John F. Kennedy

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Why We Are Unionizing

  • “I care deeply about arts access and arts education for all. Not one of the inspiring performances on our stages, nor our many education programs, exist without arts workers. The Kennedy Center staff who create and support these programs deserve a safe working environment and fair treatment. Unionizing helps achieve those shared goals, and our collective work is vital to the success of this landmark institution.”

    — Education arts worker at the Kennedy Center

  • “The work we do at the Kennedy Center is our country’s highest form of self expression. Arts workers like us deserve the chance to be unencumbered by the partisan politics that have affected the Center. We are the people who bring artists and audiences together for the transformative experiences our institution is known for. Our union will ensure that artistic expression of all kinds will always be welcome at the Center.”

    — Programming arts worker at the Kennedy Center

  • “Our movement to unionize is not about retaliation, anger, or political ideology. The KCUAW was founded to save a once-thriving American institution from unnecessary destruction. I am a young, middle class individual who has graciously accepted lower pay and long hours because of a steadfast belief in the importance of arts for all. My colleagues hold that same belief. We have unionized as protection from the corrosion of our life’s work — and more importantly, art in America.”

    — Marketing arts worker at the Kennedy Center

  • “We are unionizing to ensure a collective voice for those of us who have dedicated our careers to this vital cultural institution. The Kennedy Center’s passionate and hardworking administrators deserve a say in shaping a safe, equitable, and sustainable work environment free from political pressure.”

    — Education arts worker at the Kennedy Center

  • "The Kennedy Center’s trust staff is the connective tissue between our institution and the millions of people that walk through our doors every year—artists, audiences, students, donors, civic leaders, and the public. Without its knowledgeable, passionate, devoted, mission-driven staff, the Kennedy Center is just a building. I'm voting "YES" to have a seat at the table and negotiate the terms of our employment, including institutional transparency, standards for hiring and firing, and freedom from unprecedented political interference in our programming. Only then will the institution continue to attract and retain the world-class talent and industry leaders that have earned the Center its reputation as a beacon of artistic excellence and innovation."

    — Programming arts worker at the Kennedy Center

  • “It’s time to demand better treatment for my colleagues and to amplify the voices of the Kennedy Center community. My work has taught me to value diversity, collaboration, joy, difficult conversations, and community. It’s because of these values–instilled in me by the educators, students, coworkers, volunteers, artists, and friends I’ve met through the Kennedy Center–that I stand with the Kennedy Center United Arts Workers.”

    — Education arts worker at the Kennedy Center

  • "The Kennedy Center raised me. It’s where I learned to form my own opinions about art, and where I developed the skills I have to produce performances at the highest level. It’s where I have grown to understand what it truly means to build relationships and be in community with others. And now I feel empowered and motivated to give back to everything the Center and its people have given to me!"

    — Programming arts worker at the Kennedy Center

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