Embarrassing blow for Barack Obama as workers at his ‘death star’ presidential center are already so fed up they’re leaving in droves… as stern letter is released

DAILYMAIL.COM • Just now

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER 17:22 08 Oct 2026, updated 18:03 08 Oct 2026

Barack Obama is facing a fresh humiliation at his ‘eyesore’ presidential center with workers slamming the project’s bosses and moving to unionize just months after it opened.

In a letter to colleagues this week, staff at the Chicago library said they were organizing a union due to the institute’s ‘increasing workloads’ and benefit rollbacks.

Workers have grown frustrated with leadership at Obama’s foundation after their concerns were met with ‘vague responses,’ according to the letter, first shared by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Issues with workloads and benefits have led to a ‘high turnover rate’ among employees, with many more ‘continuing to leave (and) taking with them their institutional knowledge and expertise,’ the letter claimed.

Workers say they were recently told that their healthcare costs would increase, promotions were suspended, and paid time off was reduced, despite also learning they would get no pay increases this winter.

Luke Gilday, an Obama Foundation employee and member of the union organizing committee, told the Sun-Times that workers decided to unionize because they ‘don’t even have a seat at the table.’

‘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.

It comes after Obama’s presidential center was criticized for its unaesthetic, ‘death star’ design when it opened to the public in June.

The Obama center cost upwards of $850 million, far beyond its initial budget of $300 million. But just days before its grand opening in June, contractors alleged that they had not been paid for work on the building.

Several subcontractors claimed they were owed millions in past-due invoices, and African American Contractors Association president Omar Shareef said several workers told him they ‘wished they had never done (the project).’

In the months since the Obama Presidential Center opened, staff say they have been plagued by high turnover among their colleagues, and frustrating working conditions.

The letter, signed by 68 workers, said staff were beginning plans to launch a union named Obama Workers United, organized under the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 (AFSCME 31).

Anders Lindall, director of public affairs for AFSCME 31, said the organizing committee was already circulating union cards and pressing staff to join the effort.

‘Generally everybody wants a voice,’ Lindall said this week.

‘That extends to compensation and conditions in the workplace and more.’

Gilday said he joined the effort to unionize without a timeline to secure a union contract with the Obama Foundation, but workers began handing out organizing materials outside the center this week.

In the organizing committee’s open letter, the group quoted directly from a letter Obama circulated during the 2016 presidential election, which called on workers to join unions across the nation.

‘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.

Gilday added that the unionizing workers did not want to scupper the former president’s foundation or its mission, and said they ‘care deeply about’ making it a success.

‘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 union will cover over 250 workers across the presidential center campus in Chicago, the Obama Foundation’s offices in Washington DC, and a number of remote workers around the US.

In a statement to WBEZ following reports of the unionization efforts, a spokesperson for the Obama Foundation said: ‘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 Daily Mail has contacted the Obama Foundation for further comment.

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