Since President Trump took control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts earlier this year, his administration has scaled back some programs there and fired nearly 40 employees.
Those changes have unnerved many of the center’s administrative staff members, who work in programming, education, marketing, fund-raising, public relations and other areas. Now, seeking greater protection for their jobs, more than 90 of them are leading a push to unionize, they announced on Thursday.
The employees, calling themselves the Kennedy Center United Arts Workers, said in a statement that they were concerned by the Trump administration’s efforts to “dismantle mission-essential departments and reshape our arts programming without regard to the interests of program funders, philanthropists, national partners and the audiences we serve.
“We demand,” the statement continued, “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.”
A push to unionize is likely to escalate tensions at the center, which has been in flux since Mr. Trump purged its previously bipartisan board of Biden appointees and had himself elected chairman in February. The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration has previously defended cost-cutting efforts, saying the center is in poor financial health and must scale back to survive. Mr. Trump recently requested $257 million from Congress for capital repairs and other expenses there, according to lawmakers; the funding is still being discussed.
The United Automobile Workers, one of the largest unions in the United States, which represents workers in a range of industries, is helping to organize staff members at the Kennedy Center. On Thursday, the U.A.W. helped employees there file a request for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.
Tim Smith, a director at the U.A.W., said the union was pleased to join forces with the Kennedy Center workers.
“This is a ground up, worker-led effort aimed at improving transparency and working conditions,” he said in a statement. “We’re proud to have their back as they work towards a union election.”
The president’s takeover of the Kennedy Center has prompted an outcry, leading some artists to cancel engagements in protest. The musical “Hamilton” scrapped a planned tour there next year. Some cast members of “Les Misérables” are planning to boycott a gala performance in June that Mr. Trump is expected to attend.
Richard Grenell, whom Mr. Trump appointed as the Kennedy Center’s new president, has made cutting costs a priority. In March, he made significant cuts to a community outreach program known as Social Impact, which worked to expand audiences for opera and symphony performances and to commission works by underrepresented voices.
Critics say that the Trump administration is exaggerating the Kennedy Center’s financial problems, and that the cuts are meant to help advance the president’s political agenda. The center has been in stable condition in recent years. While fund-raising has been robust recently, the endowment, at $163 million, is relatively small for an institution of its size.
Labor groups have taken a leading role in challenging the Trump administration’s downsizing agenda across government. The U.A.W. has strongly criticized the administration for firing federal workers and slashing government agencies.
Javier C. Hernández reports on classical music, opera and dance in New York City and beyond.
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