Obama’s presidential center cost over $850 million and critics called it a ‘death star.’ Now workers say they ‘don’t even have a seat at the table’

Workers at the Obama Foundation and the Obama Presidential Center are organizing a union, according to the Daily Mail. The outlet states that 68 workers signed a letter to coworkers describing the effort. They plan to form Obama Workers United under the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, known as AFSCME 31.

The letter, which a Chicago newspaper covered, cites increasing workloads and benefit rollbacks. It says leadership answered those concerns with “vague responses.” The workers also describe a “high turnover rate,” and the letter says departing staff take their institutional knowledge with them.

Employees say they were recently told that healthcare costs would rise, promotions were suspended and paid time off was reduced. They add that no pay increases are planned for this winter. An organizing committee member said workers decided to unionize because they “don’t even have a seat at the table.” He added, “we believe we should have a say in the decisions that are being made that impact all of our lives.”

From union cards to a possible election

The AFSCME 31 director of public affairs said, “Generally everybody wants a voice.” A foundation spokesperson said the foundation is “deeply committed to the fundamental right of workers to organize and make their voices heard,” and that it approaches the process with “deep respect for unions.”

The union would cover more than 250 workers across the center’s Chicago campus, the foundation’s offices in Washington, D.C., and remote staff nationwide. The same AFSCME 31 official said the committee is already circulating union cards. The committee member said he joined the effort with no timeline for reaching a contract. The group includes museum greeters, ticket takers and exhibit staff, along with employees in development, communications and marketing.

The letter invites employees to sign union cards, to press senior leadership to acknowledge the group’s right to organize and not “waste resources on anti-union messaging, anti-union lawyers, or anti-union meetings.” It also quotes a 2016 letter from Barack Obama: “If I were looking for a good job that lets me build some security for my family, I’d join a union.”

The Congressional Research Service’s report on union representation procedures describes two routes to a union. An employer may recognize a union without an election when a majority of employees in a bargaining unit have signed authorization cards. Or, if at least 30% of employees have signed cards, a petition can be filed for an election. When a majority of those voting back the union, the NLRB certifies it as the bargaining representative.

An employer must then bargain in good faith with the union over wages, hours and other working conditions. Under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, employees have the right to self-organization, to form, join or assist labor organizations, and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing. The same section also protects the right to refrain from any of those activities.

They include threatening workers with lost benefits, promising benefits to those who reject a union, and firing workers for protected activity.