Dallas delays funding for Dallas Black Dance Theatre amid firing controversy
DALLAS - The Dallas Black Dance Theatre, under fire for terminating its dance company, is now at risk of losing a large grant from the city of Dallas.
The Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to delay a decision about a nearly $250,000 grant.
Council members did not feel comfortable providing the money to the Dallas Black Dance Theatre without knowing more about why 10 dancers were fired following a vote to unionize.
"On May 29, we voted unanimously to form a union at Dallas Black Dance Theatre. When we spoke about the retaliation we were experiencing in the wake of that decision, we were all fired. The entire company of dancers," said Terrell Rogers Jr.
Rogers was one of those dancers and urged the council to withhold funding from the organization.
"Real change is needed," he said.
The National Labor Relations Board has launched an investigation into the allegation of union busting.
Griff Braun, the national organizing director for the union representing the dancers, urged the council to take a stand now.
"We urge you not to wait for the National Labor Relations Board to issue its decisions, which we are confident will affirm these worker's rights but which will likely take far too long to help these artists," Braun said.
In August, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre said the firings resulted from a video the dancers made that violated the organization’s code of conduct.
The dancers said there was nothing wrong with the video set to the "Family Matters" theme song.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre fires 9 dancers over social media video; city council calls for probe
The theater maintains that the dancers were fired for "violating company policies" after posting a video on social media. But the dancers and some councilmembers say this is a classic textbook case of union-busting.
Theater board president Georgia Scaife reiterated that the firings were not about the union.
"We have not in any way done union busting. We have dancers that we’ve hired to replace these dancers that are part of the union. I don’t think that qualifies as being union busting," she said.
Councilman Adam Bazaldua urged his fellow council members to delay the decision on funding until more facts can be gathered.
"This would be absolutely irresponsible for us to give tax dollars to an organization that could potentially be carrying themselves in a way that we do not believe to be a priority for our city," he said.
The $248,000 in funding the Dallas City Council voted to delay makes up 7% of the theatre’s budget.
"It may mean we have to reduce the size of staff, reduce the size of programs," Scaife said.
"If they cannot continue programming that does not disproportionately impact those most vulnerable and needing these programs and services, maybe we should revisit our relationship that we have with this organization," Bazaldua said.
The Dallas Arts and Culture Appropriations Committee will come up with council recommendations next month and could also present alternative uses for the funds at the Dec. 3 Quality of Life Committee meeting.