A union that represents ticket sellers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts challenged recent layoffs of about two dozen of its members by filing a complaint Monday with the National Labor Relations Board that accused the center of unfair labor practices.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents the ticket sellers, accused the center of retaliating against the workers by terminating them after the union filed grievances, according to a copy of the complaint, which is described as a charge in the labor board’s parlance.
The layoffs were part of a broader series of employee terminations that the center is making in advance of the institution’s closure this summer for renovations.
A spokeswoman for the Kennedy Center declined to comment.
Kennedy Center officials have said they plan to retain a bare-bones work force during the two-year shutdown, which has been described as necessary to complete critical maintenance. President Trump, who took over the center in his second term, has promised that the renovations will transform the building from what he called a “tired, broken, and dilapidated Center.”
The planned shutdown is being challenged in federal court by a Democratic congresswoman and cultural heritage groups who have each filed lawsuits.
The unfair labor practice charge is the first public legal action taken by a union over the planned closure.
The workers who were terminated last month include employees who handle phone ticket sales, subscriptions and group sales for schools. The center still employs more than 30 box office staff from the same union.
Jonas Loeb, a union spokesman, said that days before the layoffs, the union local had filed grievances saying that the center had failed to abide by provisions in the union’s contracts that relate to staffing minimums and notifications about open positions.
Richard Grenell, the former president of the center appointed under Mr. Trump, had blamed the center’s 19 unions for helping to make it “incredibly expensive” to put on performances.
Under Mr. Grenell’s leadership, dozens of staff members were terminated, and a unionization effort was started among administrative employees. Mr. Grenell left the center this spring. Matt Floca, a facilities management professional, stepped into the role of executive director.
The center’s most recent publicly available tax documents say that the institution employed more than 2,000 people — many of them part time — in 2023. But that number has been reduced by layoffs and attrition since the beginning of Mr. Trump’s second term. As of 2023, more than half of the center’s employees were members of unions, including musicians, stagehands, and hair and makeup specialists.
A news release from the ticketing union noted that the employees were terminated despite two more months of planned performances at the center. The touring production of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is scheduled to begin performances in June, and the National Symphony Orchestra has a series of concerts planned.
“The work still exists, but management chose to eliminate the workers anyways,” the union’s news release said.
In federal court, the Kennedy Center has defended itself against the claim that the closure is intended to help mask that the institution is suffering from declining ticket sales and fleeing artists, particularly since Mr. Trump’s name was added to its marble facade.
But Mr. Floca has said that the extent of the renovation needs, including to the building’s structure and theatrical systems, makes the closure the “only responsible path forward.”
The union is seeking a temporary injunction that could allow jobs to be restored while the case is litigated.
Julia Jacobs is an arts and culture reporter who often covers legal issues for The Times.
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