DNC layoffs with no severance leave staffers scrambling, union says
The cuts were announced starting on Wednesday night and were effective Friday; and DNC leaders did not tell staff how the layoffs were determined or whether additional cuts are planned, according to the union.
The Democratic National Committee workers’ union on Monday condemned layoffs by the organization, saying permanent employees were terminated last week with one day’s notice and no severance pay.
While staff jobs at campaign offices routinely end after elections, the DNC laid off permanent employees, including people who had been told their positions would continue after the election, the staff union said in a statement.
As the party reels from election losses that cost it the presidency and majorities in both congressional chambers, grapples with questions about its identity and prepares to decide who will lead it as Donald Trump returns to the White House, the layoffs inject internal turmoil into the DNC’s post-election reboot. The union hinted at discord, alleging that people in the organization had made decisions during the campaign that “created this situation.”
“The DNC’s senior leadership has chosen to leave loyal staff scrambling to cover rent, medical expenses and childcare costs,” the union’s statement said.
The cuts were announced starting on Wednesday night and were effective Friday; and DNC leaders did not tell staff how the layoffs were determined or whether additional cuts are planned, according to the union. Those laid off included people who had been with the organization for 40 years, the union said.
In a statement, the DNC noted that, every election cycle “political organizations scale up to meet the demands, and as the cycle comes to a close, it’s a tough reality of our industry that we must part with talented, hardworking staff.”
“While the DNC has met the terms of the union agreement negotiated by the CBA, we share the entire DNC family’s frustration and continue to provide resources to all members of the team to support them in this transition,” the DNC’s statement read.
A DNC staffer who was not laid off and is part of the union described the layoffs as “abrupt.”
The staffer noted that while there was no clause in workers’ contracts that would have provided them a severance package, that shouldn’t preclude the DNC “from doing the right thing.”
“It doesn’t absolve them of the responsibility to live up to its values and principles and treat its workers with, you know, basic dignity,” the staffer said.
“It’s really hard, on the heels of a pretty devastating electoral loss, for a lot of folks who work in this space [to] see this organization, you know, not live up to its values,” the staffer added.
The union asked that the DNC grant laid-off workers severance, and that it address workers about the layoffs transparently — noting in its statement that Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign gave staff severance after the campaign ended, questioning the DNC’s decision not to do the same and noting that the committee had carried out massive fundraising. The union criticized DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and Executive Director Sam Cornale for not addressing the staff in-person.
“The DNC staff is proud of the values that our party stands for,” the union said. “We want to make it clear, however, that the principles we champion on the national stage have been disregarded in our own workplace.”
