New York City, NY – United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2110 has petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a Union Election for nearly a thousand full-time and part-time Professional and Non-Professional Staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Workers cite long-term pay inequities, lack of job protection and ever-increasing workloads as reasons for the Unionization efforts. Initial conversations about Unionizing started in 2020, with Staff sharing concerns generated by the Coronavirus Pandemic, UAW Representatives said. In 2022, the group reached out to Local 2110, known nationally for organizing Staff at major Cultural Institutions, including: The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; MoMA; the New Museum of Contemporary Art; the Guggenheim Museum; the MASS MoCA; the Whitney Museum of American Art and others.
“The Union effort was started during the pandemic by a group of long-time Staff who know the Met extremely well and have been through multiple crises where we have lost Staff and benefits,” said Rebecca Capua, a Conservator who’s been employed at the Met for 16 years. “We want our jobs at the Met to be viable long-term careers – for ourselves and for those who come after us.”
