Obama Foundation Workers Seek to Unionize Amid Complaints About Pay, Benefits
The Obama Foundation is facing a unionization drive from employees who say their workloads have grown while benefits have been reduced. The effort is drawing added attention because the foundation’s latest tax filing shows substantial compensation for its top executives, including CEO Valerie Jarrett.
The contrast is likely to strike critics on the right as an uncomfortable twist for an institution tied to former President Barack Obama, a longtime public supporter of organized labor. Employees are now asking the foundation to recognize their union as they seek a formal voice on workplace issues.
The foundation reported 342 employees in its 2025 tax filing. Of those, 172 earned more than $100,000, according to a review of its financial records.
Jarrett, a longtime Obama adviser who has led the foundation since 2021, received about $771,000 in total compensation, including nearly $755,000 in salary. That was an increase from the previous year.
Other senior executives also received significant compensation. Executive Vice President Robbin Cohen was paid about $666,000. Former Michelle Obama chief of staff Christina Tchen received approximately $431,000, while former Obama White House aide Michael Strautmanis received roughly $404,000.
The compensation figures have emerged as foundation and recently opened Obama Presidential Center employees organize with AFSCME Council 31. Sixty-eight employees signed an open letter announcing the effort earlier this month. Organizers are seeking to represent more than 250 workers in Chicago, Washington and remote positions across the country.
The employees include visitor-services staff, museum and technology workers, custodians, and people working in the foundation’s educational and international programs.
Workers said they remain committed to the foundation’s mission but believe workplace conditions have worsened as their responsibilities have grown.
“Amidst increasing workloads we have seen our benefits rolled back,” employees wrote in their organizing letter, while also alleging that leadership has provided insufficient support.
The letter also says staff departures have cost the organization experienced employees and institutional knowledge, leaving remaining workers with heavier responsibilities.
Organizers are asking the foundation to voluntarily recognize the union. They have also urged leadership not to spend money on anti-union consultants, lawyers or meetings.
The foundation has publicly supported employees’ right to organize and said it intends to work with them during the process.
“We are deeply committed to the fundamental right of workers to organize,” the foundation said, adding that it respects organized labor and intends to work collaboratively during the process.
The organization has also defended its executive compensation, saying salaries must be competitive enough to attract qualified workers. A spokesperson said the board consults compensation specialists and reviews market comparisons each year when setting pay for Jarrett, officers and other key employees.
Brian Mittendorf, an Ohio State University accounting professor who specializes in nonprofit finances, told Fox News Digital that the share of foundation employees earning six figures was higher than at a typical nonprofit. He also noted that the organization employs a significant number of specialized workers.
The foundation’s payroll and benefits costs have risen as the organization expanded, increasing from $18.5 million in 2018 to $50.4 million in 2025. It reported about $159 million in revenue last year, including nearly $151 million in contributions and grants, and ended the year with net assets exceeding $1 billion.
Fox’s comparison of several presidential organizations found Jarrett’s compensation exceeded the reported pay of top executives at the Carter Center, George W. Bush Presidential Center, Clinton Foundation and George & Barbara Bush Foundation.
The Reagan Foundation’s chief executive received about $735,000. The top officer at the George W. Bush Presidential Center received approximately $661,000, while the reported figure for the Clinton Foundation was roughly $425,000. The organizations vary considerably in size, operations and reporting periods.
The labor dispute comes just months after the Obama Presidential Center opened on Chicago’s South Side, following years of construction and fundraising. The foundation says it now employs more than 500 people worldwide, including about 300 at the center, making its current workforce larger than the 342 employees listed in the 2025 filing.
Union organizers say they want employees to have a formal voice on compensation, health care, paid time off and working conditions.
The push now places an organization closely associated with Obama and his support for organized labor in negotiations with employees seeking union representation.