“We want livable wages and to be able to live well,” said Rob Kempton, a security guard. “I think our efforts are warranted, and we aren’t going to go down without a fight.”
Unions
Wexner Center for the Arts Workers Move to Unionize
The workers are urging the leadership of the Ohio arts institution to voluntarily recognize their union.
Why We Need Unions at Art Museums
A colleague once told me “You live better when you work in a union, especially in an art museum because you work for elitists.”
The General Strike in Modern Art
A massive strike wave in the 19th and 20th centuries redefined how painters, illustrators, and photographers advocate for the working class.
The Ancient Art of Organized Labor
From Egyptian craftsmen to European textile workers, artists have always found strength in numbers.
New York’s Jewish Museum Staff Push to Unionize
The union would include art handlers, curators, development staff, educators, visitor experience and retail employees, and other administrative staff.
Union Workers Strike at MFA Boston, Protesting Stagnant Wages and Delayed Negotiations
“Get up, get down! Boston is a union town,” strikers and local UAW supporters alike chanted in unison during a demonstration this morning, November 17.
Bay Area Artists Put Together an A-Z Guide for Forming a Museum Union
The artists released the risograph-printed booklet series Organizing Power to assist in the arduous process of assembling a bargaining unit and negotiating.
Penn Museum Workers Accuse Leadership of Union-Busting Tactics
Workers are charging the museum’s leadership with “obstructing the free and fair election process through anti-union activity.”
Work (Even the Creative Kind) Won’t Love You Back
Amid the recent wave of art worker unionizing, Sarah Jaffee’s Work Won’t Love you Back offers some instructive takeaways for understanding the trap of that persistent Neoliberal myth: the “labor of love.”
Whitney Museum Voluntarily Recognizes Union
The museum has recognized the collective bargaining unit, bypassing the union election.
Brooklyn Museum Workers Move to Unionize
While the museum is often billed as a progressive institution, some workers have spoken out against a starkly different reality behind closed doors.