Met Museum Employees Petition to Create Union

As seen in the New York Times:

A labor union filed a petition Monday morning to form a bargaining unit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that would represent nearly 1,000 workers, including curators, conservators, retail specialists and educators. If successful, union officials said, the Met would become one of the largest unionized museums in the country.

It was the first official move in a unionization effort that has quietly brewed inside the museum for more than five years, since a group of longtime employees shared concerns about job security and wage stagnation during the coronavirus pandemic.

Several other prominent New York museums have formed unions in recent years, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum. Those drives helped convince a number of Met employees that they could also unionize. The Met already has two smaller unions representing security guards and projectionists.

“Nothing happens quickly at the Met,” said Rebecca Capua, a conservator who has been employed at the museum for 16 years. “And we wouldn’t take a risk on a vote that we didn’t think we could win.”

Local 2110 of the United Automobile Workers filed a petition Monday with the National Labor Relations Board asking for a vote on the union.

“Over many decades, we have worked to develop a culture of inclusivity, collaboration and creativity, and take every opportunity to uplift our employees,” said Ann Bailis, a Met Museum spokeswoman. “We respect the right to seek union representation and are proud of our longstanding relationships with DC37 and Local 306 IATSE, which represent a large segment of our staff.”