Barack Obama’s sprawling presidential center is confronting fresh turmoil only months after opening, with employees alleging high turnover, heavier workloads, rising health care costs, and reduced benefits as they push to unionize.

Employees at the Obama Foundation and Obama Presidential Center announced this week that they are organizing under the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31. The campaign brings workplace complaints directly into an institution built to showcase Obama’s legacy.

In an open letter signed by 68 workers, employees accused foundation leaders of answering their workplace concerns with “vague responses.” They also said the organization has experienced a “high turnover rate.”

According to the letter, employees “continue to leave, taking with them their institutional knowledge and expertise.” The union has not disclosed a specific number of workers who have left since the Chicago campus opened in June.

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Employees said frustrations have grown over compensation, health care costs, paid time off and opportunities for advancement. Union organizers said workers recently learned that they would receive no pay increases this winter.

At the same time, workers were told that health care costs would rise, paid time off would be reduced, and promotions would remain suspended. The combination has added fuel to the organizing campaign.

Luke Gilday, an Obama Foundation employee and member of the organizing committee, said workers are seeking a direct voice in decisions that affect their jobs and lives.

‘What we’re hoping for, and really the reason why we’re forming our union, is just because we believe we should have a say in the decisions that are being made that impact all of our lives,’ Gilday said.

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He said employees currently ‘don’t even have a seat at the table.’ That complaint now sits awkwardly beside the public image of an organization associated with fairness, transparency and support for organized labor.

The organizing effort comes less than four months after the Obama Presidential Center opened to the public in Chicago. It adds another headache for a project already criticized over its enormous cost and imposing design.

The center’s price climbed dramatically from early estimates as construction continued over several years. Before the opening, some contractors also publicly complained about unpaid invoices connected to their work on the project.

The latest dispute is particularly uncomfortable given Obama’s long public history of championing organized labor. Workers highlighted that irony by quoting a message Obama circulated during the 2016 election encouraging Americans to organize when workplace conditions needed improvement.

‘If I were looking for a good job that lets me build some security for my family, I’d join a union. If I saw a problem in my workplace, I’d organize my coworkers to do something about it,’ the quote read.

CAN’T MAKE THIS UP The Obama Presidential Center isn’t even four months old and the staff are already trying to unionize against it & people are QUITTING.

Meanwhile Valerie Jarrett the director and CEO makes $740,000 a year & Michelle’s old Chief of Staff $400K almost. 68 workers signed a letter this week & said : Workloads are up Healthcare costs are up Paid time off was CUT Promotions are FROZEN NO WINTER RAISES. The chef’s kiss…. They quoted Barack Obama’s own 2016 letter. “If I saw a problem in my workplace, I’d organize my coworkers.” What this signals to me is that the people aren’t showing up in droves to The “Hopey Changey Death Star” LOL — Johnny St.Pete (@JohnMcCloy) October 8, 2026

Obama Workers United is expected to cover more than 250 employees. Those workers are spread across the presidential center campus, the foundation’s offices in Washington, D.C., and remote positions throughout the country.

AFSCME Council 31 spokesman Anders Lindall said organizers have already begun circulating union cards among employees. ‘Generally everybody wants a voice,’ Lindall said this week.

‘That extends to compensation and conditions in the workplace and more.’ Gilday, meanwhile, stressed that employees involved in the organizing campaign are not seeking to damage the Obama Foundation or undermine its mission.

‘Mr. and Mrs. Obama’s legacy is one of hope. It’s one of fairness, and it’s one of transparency… by forming our union, all we’re doing is living out that legacy,’ he said.

The Obama Foundation said it supports the right of workers to organize and indicated that it plans to cooperate with the effort. ‘We are deeply committed to the fundamental right of workers to organize and make their voices heard.

‘As members of our staff explore union representation, we approach this process with immense gratitude for their contributions, deep respect for unions, and a sincere commitment to working collaboratively with our partners in labor.’

The union campaign places labor practices inside Obama’s own institution under a brighter and rather inconvenient spotlight. Workers are now publicly airing complaints about pay, benefits, advancement, and workplace conditions at a center created largely to present the former president’s legacy.

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