This evening, as trustees and VIPs arrived at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for its annual “Party in the Garden” gala, they were greeted by dozens of the museum’s staff brandishing signs that read “Modern Art, Ancient Wages” and “MoMA, Don’t Cut Our Healthcare.”
Unions
Posted inArt
In the Bay Area, Adjuncts and Artists Unite to Unionize
SAN FRANCISCO — It is no longer a stretch to draw connections between adjunct professors and other workers in the service economy. The corporate university model is deeply invested in the notion that treating all of its employees as disposable labor can maximize profits.
Posted inArt
At London’s National Gallery, Staffers Strike and Visitors Carry On
LONDON — On February 4 from 9 to 11 am the National Gallery of London witnessed the second episode in a five-day strike by museum staff and members of the Public and Commercial Services Union
Posted inNews
On Track to Privatize 400 Jobs, National Gallery Outsources Management of Museum Wing [UPDATED]
On Monday, the National Gallery of London transferred security services for its Sainsbury Wing over to the private security company CIS. The move is the latest in a bitter dispute over the privatization of a huge number of jobs at the museum: 400 of 600 positions, or two-thirds of the museum’s entire staff.
Posted inBooks
New York’s Beloved, Independent, Union-Busting Bookstore
On the Books, written and drawn by Greg Farrell and released by Microcosm Publishing, is a firsthand comics account of contract negotiations at the Strand in 2012 — or, as the book’s subtitle puts it, “A Graphic Tale of Working Woes at NYC’s Strand Bookstore.”
Posted inNews
175 Workers Face Lockout at Canada’s National Gallery
The National Gallery of Canada may lock out 175 of its employees next month if negotiations between the museum and the union that represents the workers are not successful.
Posted inNews
College Bookstore Allegedly Fires Workers After Union Vote [UPDATED]
Following its employees’ vote to unionize at last Tuesday’s elections, independent bookseller Book Culture fired five of its thirty staffers, Gothamist reported.
Posted inArt
Did a Few Tweets Force Frieze to Unionize?
On April 9, Frieze New York and city labor unions announced that they had reached a settlement regarding using unionized workers for their fair in May.
Posted inNews
After Negotiations, Frieze New York Agrees to Union Labor
After two years of protests regarding its use of non-union labor, Frieze New York announced today that it will be employing union workers for the 2014 iteration of the art fair on Randall’s Island.
Posted inNews
Rappers in Tunisia Unionize
In response to the increasing prosecution of rappers in Tunisia as part of a broader crackdown on free expression by the country’s Islamist government, rappers in the country have formed a union.
Posted inArt
How Are Artists Getting Paid?
How are artists who have been systematically denied fair wages and access to basic services like healthcare and unemployment protections gaining access to those things today?
Posted inNews
Worker Strike Disrupts UK Museums
A widespread worker strike across the UK has delayed openings and shut down galleries at dozens of major museums across the country. The series of three daylong strikes happening yesterday, today, and Sunday are part of a larger action coordinated by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) against cuts to pay, pensions, and job conditions.
