Obama Said He'd "Join a Union." His Staff Took Him Up On It.

In 2016, Barack Obama wrote that if he were looking for a good job, "I'd join a union." If he saw a problem at work, he'd "organize my coworkers to do something about it." Great advice. Turns out his own employees were listening.

Dozens of Obama Foundation staffers have signed a letter launching Obama Workers United, a bid to represent more than 250 employees in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and remote roles, according to reports. Their grievances: heavier workloads, rolled-back benefits, and leadership that answers concerns with "vague responses." Meanwhile, experienced colleagues keep walking out the door, and the people left behind are doing more with less.

The organizing committee is working with AFSCME Council 31, a public-sector union. The foundation says it has "deep respect for unions." But notice that the workers felt the need to ask leadership, in writing, to skip the "anti-union messaging, anti-union lawyers, or anti-union meetings." That's not a vote of confidence.

The backdrop is rich. Fox News Digital previously reported that foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett took home $740,000 in 2024, and that total salaries and benefits climbed from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024. The foundation says that's competitive for the nonprofit world. Staff, apparently, would like to see some of that competition reach them.

Obama world in a nutshell: the speeches are for the workers, and the benefits are for leadership.

The Obama world has a choice ahead of it. It's easy to champion labor from a podium. It's harder when the organizers are in your own org chart, and your name is on the building.

Obama told America to organize. His staff did. Now we get to see whether "respect for unions" survives contact with an actual union.