Kennedy Center Director Ric Grenell Says Staff Planning To Unionize ‘Should Be Celebrating’ Instead

The new acting director of The Kennedy Center has responded to reports that employees plan to unionize.

“These people who only now want to speak out and organize were silent while the Center was going into deficit spending,” Richard Grenell said in a statement on the situation, per RealClearPolitics. “They missed their moment but should be celebrating now.”

His remarks come after multiple legacy news outlets reported on the unionization push. The Washington Post reported that it spoke with Kennedy Center employees about their reasoning, who confirmed it was spurred by President Donald Trump taking control of the center and firing the entire board of trustees.

According to newly filed paperwork, the new union will be called the “Kennedy Center United Arts Workers,” and instead of having “at will” employment status, they will be “for cause.” This means instead of being able to be fired at any time for any reason, leadership will be required to prove a reason for any dismissals.

One union organizer told The Post, “Communication from leadership to staff has been reduced to emails that are few and far between,” and claimed they haven’t had any staff meetings.  

“This lack of transparency from leadership has really contributed to a culture of anxiety and uncertainty,” the unnamed person added.

During a visit to the center earlier this year, Trump commented on the state of the building, which first opened to the public in 1971. The president said it was in “tremendous disrepair, as is a lot of the rest of our country — most of it because of bad management,” per the Los Angeles Times. Trump also said he was “disappointed” but promised to “do what has to be done” to make things right again.

Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover and shakeup have caused big reactions from leftists. There have been protests, cancellations, and a general aura of doom and gloom, but the venue has been attracting record crowds despite the drama. The Kennedy Center just broke its all-time attendance record for a public event on March 29, welcoming 11,000 attendees, of whom 76% were there for the first time.

This comes after Trump also promised to scrub leftist programs from the Center’s lineup. “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST,” the president wrote on Truth Social in February.