Whitney Museum Union Ratifies Contract on Eve of Strike
Workers were prepared to begin their strike during the preview week of a major Roy Lichtenstein retrospective.
Strike? More like sike ... Unionized staff at the Whitney Museum of American Art have narrowly averted full-blown strike action this week as news of an 11th-hour contract ratification came in on Sunday night, October 4. The Whitney's union was set to picket outside the museum from today, October 5, and throughout this week's press, VIP, and member previews for Like New, the Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, which opens to the public on October 11.
The Whitney union was among four New York City museum labor units under UAW Local 2110 that voted to strike amid prolonged contract negotiations this year. Unionized staff at the Brooklyn Museum, the American Folk Art Museum, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum secured contracts with their respective institutions in recent days without setting strike deadlines.
In its second three-year contract with the museum, the Whitney union secured pay increases of at least 14.75% across the board over four years, as well as a new wage floor of $26 an hour for visitor experience, membership, and retail associates, which is subject to the same scheduled increases. A press release from UAW Local 2110 also notes inaugural longevity bonuses for staff with a decade or more of service, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, increased bereavement leave, and strengthened health and safety provisions.
“Solidarity across all ranks of our union made a huge difference at the end,” said Erika Wentworth, who works in the Whitney's graphic design department, in a press statement. “The Museum knew we were serious about striking and in these last few days, we made a lot of progress.”
