The union that represents staffers at the Democratic National Committee is calling out its leadership in the wake of the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election.
The statement said the DNC is “facing the fallout of callous and short-sighted mismanagement by senior leadership.” The union said that beginning last Wednesday, permanent employees were notified of their termination, which was effective on Friday and with no severance pay.
“These cuts go far beyond typical campaign turnover and impact employees who were previously told their positions would be retained after the election,” the statement said.
The statement called upon leadership to consider two actions to “align the DNC’s actions” with its “principles.” The union said leadership could first offer severance to every permanent employee who was laid off and second, address the staff “honestly and transparently.”
The statement said the DNC leadership has refused to disclose to the DNC Staff Union “the full extent of the layoffs and whether or not additional cuts are planned.”
According to the statement, staff working on Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) presidential campaign were provided with three weeks of severance. The DNC union letter said that to its employees, unlike Harris-Walz staffers, DNC senior leadership chose to “leave loyal staff scrambling to cover rent, medical expenses, and childcare costs.”
The union said that in order to begin regaining the trust of voters, the DNC “must start by living our party’s values.”