Unionised employees on the Brooklyn Museum held a rally on Wednesday (28 September) night in entrance of the museum, coinciding with an open home occasion that marked the opening of the museum’s renovated Asian and Islamic artwork galleries. About 100 folks took half within the rally, lining the plaza main into the museum’s predominant entrance on Japanese Parkway. Over the course of the two-hour occasion many museumgoers walked across the protesters in an effort to not have interaction with them. And whereas there’s typically safety for such occasions, a New York Police Division car was parked in entrance of the museum, steps from the demonstrating union members.
“We’re rallying, hoping to carry to the general public’s consideration and museum guests clearly and contributors within the open home, that the museum isn’t making a good provide to the union on behalf of its workers,” says Maida Rosenstein, former president of UAW Native 2110—which represents employees on the Brooklyn Museum and lots of different main cultural establishments—who now serves as chief answerable for organising and negotiating first contracts. “Persons are actually severely underpaid on the Brooklyn Museum and the museum is simply refusing to deal with that in negotiations. Though, the rationale why folks organised was to enhance their circumstances.”
The day earlier than the rally, the museum’s union introduced on its Instagram account that it filed an unfair labour apply criticism in opposition to the museum with the Nationwide Labor Assessment Board (NLRB). The union is alleging that museum administration has engaged in unfair negotiation ways.
Negotiations for a primary contract started in January, with main factors of competition revolving round pay, healthcare advantages and job safety, amongst different points. Many museum employees haven’t obtained a pay enhance since 2020, in accordance with a union press launch, at the same time as inflation and cost-of-living bills have surged throughout that point. The museum has reportedly provided a 3% wage increase that will take impact after the employees accepted the museum’s proposal in full. The union is asking for a 7% enhance retroactive to 1 July 2022, with 4% will increase in 2023 and once more in 2024.
“We’ve been bargaining with the museum since January and really feel we have now but to achieve an settlement on a good contract. Notably we’re far aside on the problems of wages and well being advantages and really feel administration is undervaluing our contributions to the museum,” says Elizabeth St. George, a member of the bargaining committee and an assistant curator of ornamental arts. “We’re collaborating on this motion tonight out of deep love and dedication to the museum, in addition to its mission for social justice. We wish to construct a tradition and group the place the sensible creativity and laborious work of the workers is matched with truthful labour practices and compensation.”
The Brooklyn Museum’s workers voted to unionise in August of 2021. They’re represented by the United Auto Employees (UAW), which represents many cultural establishments and non-profits throughout the Northeast together with the Museum of Wonderful Arts Boston, New Museum, Jewish Museum, Mass MoCA and others. Amid declining income and a dip in guests as a result of Covid-19 pandemic, the museum laid off 24 workers members in 2020. Following the workers layoffs, and amid a set of bigger points affecting the humanities business that sparked a nationwide unionisation motion, Brooklyn Museum employees started to organise.
“Our members who’re on the Brooklyn and at different locations just like the Whitney and the Guggenheim, and I’m certain that is true on the Philadelphia Museum of Artwork as nicely, organised partially, not solely to higher their very own circumstances however to make museums extra sustainable locations for folks to have long-term careers, and since they care concerning the establishments and so they care concerning the work that they do,” Rosenstein says. “It’s very irritating that museums usually are not recognising that. And it’s typically skilled requirements that individuals are searching for, to have livable wages, advantages, circumstances and a voice within the establishment as a result of they’re dedicated to their skilled requirements and the work that they do.”
The Brooklyn Museum rally coincides with an ongoing strike by employees on the Philadelphia Museum of Artwork, the place unionised employees have been negotiating with administration for his or her first contract for 23 months.
“The Brooklyn Museum has been negotiating with UAW Native 2110 in good religion since February 2022 and stays dedicated to partnering with our workers to attain an settlement that advances our commitments to wage fairness,” a museum spokesperson says. “The museum just lately permitted a monetary 12 months 2023 working price range that dedicates almost $4m in new investments in wage and profit enhancements for all staff. This essential enhance is the results of a complete wage fairness undertaking designed to offer fairness, readability, transparency, sustainability and competitiveness, in alignment with the museum’s values. To that finish, we have now proposed a mean 9% wage enhance for workers represented by the UAW Native 2110, greater than the union’s personal proposal for 4%.We respect the rights of our workers to organise and stay targeted on reaching an settlement with UAW Native 2110.”
