We are united for
a better, more free, and democratic Kennedy Center.

On February 12, 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.

We are fighting for the artist—to preserve their fullest expression of art on Kennedy Center stages. We are fighting for our relationships—so that educators, students, donors, and audiences know that they will be respected. We are fighting for ourselves and our colleagues—so that the execution of our work cannot be met with retaliation. We are fighting for free speech—so that we can advocate for the communities we represent. We are forming a union of all KC administrative and production staff of Programming, Education, Development, Marketing, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington National Opera.

In this time of upheaval and uncertainty, we are taking collective action to form a union. It has become clear we must defend all our working conditions through collective bargaining, as outlined below.

Why are we organizing?

The Kennedy Center’s new management has communicated its intention to radically alter the Center’s programming priorities, eliminate staff, and dismantle our mission-essential programs.

Collective organizing offers a structure of “strength in numbers” to defend our shared interests as arts workers, protect our job security, negotiate the terms of our employment (e.g telework), protect speech and creative autonomy, access to neutral, third party arbitration to resolve disputes, including cases of wrongful termination and contract violations.

Additionally, by forming a union we are joining a powerful movement (both nationally and at the Kennedy Center) of workers fighting for fair treatment and our rights.

    • KC unilaterally determines our working conditions and can change them at any time without our consent;

    • KC arts workers are “at will” employees and can be fired without cause, for any reason, by management.

    • KC management is the final decision maker on all aspects of wages, benefits, and working conditions;

    • KC standard operating procedures, policies, rules, and regulations cannot be easily enforced by individual workers alone.

    • We elect a bargaining committee that gathers input from workers across Programming, Education, Marketing, and Development departments, the NSO, and WNO;

    • Our bargaining committee negotiates the terms of our employment on equal footing with KC management;

    • We decide democratically, through a vote, whether to approve any agreement in our contract;

    • That contract secures the terms and conditions of our employment and is binding and enforceable; and

    • KC arts worker staff gain a stronger public voice, working with tens of thousands of fellow UAW members who lobby and engage elected officials to make improvements.

    • Job security and legal protection from wrongful termination and retaliation,

    • Freedom of speech protections and and protections against partisan political interference in our work,

    • Adequate transparency in communications and institutional updates, including finances,

    • Negotiate improved wages and salary transparency,

    • Negotiate improvements to benefits,

    • Negotiated fair and consistent terms for hiring and firing,

    • Access to national network of worker advocacy resources, and,

    • Access to a neutral, third party arbitration process to resolve disputes, including wrongful termination and contract violations.

Testimonials

  • “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

  • “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

  • “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

  • “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

  • "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