Dallas City Council agreed Wednesday to strip nearly a quarter-million dollars in funding from the Dallas Black Dance Theatre following months of controversy surrounding claims of union-busting and unfair labor practices.
In August, the DBDT fired its entire main company, which had established a labor union under the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). At the time, DBDT leaders claimed the dancers had appeared in an improper video on social media and denied that the firings were related to attempts to unionize. City Council agreed to pause funding to the DBDT in late October until an investigation by the National Labor Relations Board into union-busting claims was complete.
The Dallas Black Dance Theatre and the National Labor Relations Board reached a settlement last Sunday, after the investigation found merit in dozens of claims of unfair labor practices by the organization. The organization will pay $560,000 in back pay, front pay and damages to the former employees.
But some council members voiced concerns that the settlement does not do enough to ensure the theater will engage in proper labor practices in the future.
“I would like to say to the board members of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, we’re looking to y’all to make a substantive change. What was announced this week and what is being characterized as a settlement didn't settle anything. That was a [Cover Your Ass], that’s the reality of it,” Council member Adam Bazaldua said. “I think that some leadership changes need to be made and some hard decisions have to be made through this process.”
The settlement will require employees and managers at the DBDT to undergo training, but it is unclear whether the controversy will result in leadership changes.
A motion to reallocate DBDT’s funding for next year to other arts and culture initiatives passed, 11-4. Council member Carolyn King Arnold, who voted against the funding slash, voiced concerns that the move would “cripple” a program dedicated to Black culture.
Georgia Scaife, president of DBDT’s board of directors, echoed a similar concern in a written statement released after the vote, warning that revoking the funding will "undoubtedly negatively affect the Dallas community.”
The $248,000 provided by the city to the dance group annually accounts for 7% of its budget, FOX4 reports.
