Full Breakdown
Obama Foundation Executive Pay Gap Sparks Union Drive
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Executive Compensation and Union Organizing
The Obama Foundation’s 2025 tax filing shows that 172 of its 342 reported employees earned more than $100,000, meaning roughly half of its workforce receives six-figure salaries. At the same time, rank-and-file staff have launched a unionization campaign, forming Obama Workers United with AFSCME Council 31 and seeking collective bargaining rights.
Background & Context
The nonprofit, founded by former President Barack Obama, is overseeing the construction of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side. The Center’s projected cost has risen to about $1 billion, nearly three times the original estimate. In 2025 the Foundation’s payroll and benefits bill reached $50.4 million, up from $18.5 million in 2018, while total revenue was approximately $159 million, of which $151 million came from contributions and grants. The organization’s endowment stood at about $14.2 million at year-end 2025.
Data & Statistics
- CEO salary: Valerie Jarrett earned $771,000 in 2025, up from $581,000 in 2021.
- Other top earners (2025): Christina Tchen $431,000; Michael Strautmanis $404,000; Laura Lucas Magnuson $396,000; Robbin Cohen $666,000; Ammar Rizki $400,000.
- Executive pay comparison (2025): Jarrett’s salary exceeds those of CEOs at the Reagan Foundation ($735,000), Carter Center ($531,000), George W. Bush Presidential Center ($661,000), George & Barbara Bush Foundation ($426,600) and Clinton Foundation ($425,000).
- Employee compensation distribution: 172 employees (?50 %) earned >$100,000, compared with 37 % at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, 29 % at the Carter Center, 23 % at the Clinton Foundation, 13 % at the Reagan Foundation and 10 % at the George & Barbara Bush Foundation.
Official Statements & Responses
Emily Bittner, the Foundation’s vice president of communications, said the organization bases employee pay on market rates and that the board reviews compensation annually using comparability data and a compensation consultant.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The Foundation pays our employees rates that are competitive with the market,” — Emily Bittner, vice president of communications
- “That's clearly higher percentage than your average nonprofit,” — Brian Mittendorf, center-costs expert
- “But here we're dealing with a nonprofit that's probably very expertise heavy. It's very heavy on like the think tank side. And as you look at a think tank, it would look very differently than say a local food bank.” — Brian Mittendorf, center-costs expert
- “The Obama Center is another far-left political operation that acts as a non-profit while using taxpayer dollars to make Barack Obama's inner circle rich," Grogan told Fox News Digital.” — Bob Grogan, Republican Party chairman
What’s Next
On October 15, 2026, staff at the Obama Foundation and Presidential Center announced the union organizing effort, inviting employees to sign union cards and urging leadership to refrain from anti-union messaging or legal actions. Obama Workers United aims to represent more than 250 workers across the Chicago campus, the Foundation’s Washington, D.C., offices, and remote locations. The outcome of the organizing drive will determine how the Foundation addresses the compensation disparity highlighted by its recent filings.
