MoMA investigated by federal agency over allegations of unfair dismissals

Federal charges of unfair labour practice have been brought against the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York because of the way the institution handled the dismissal of several employees following a strike in 2002. The United Auto Workers Union, which represents the museum’s workers, filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act which gives employees the right to engage in protected concerted activities in the workplace. The case focuses on whether MoMA relied on unlawful factors when deciding whom to lay off. “We think the employees were let go in retaliation for their union activities,” says NLRB attorney Don Zavelo. After an investigation, the NLRB issued complaints last summer that led to a 21-day trial that ended on 30 January. The case is now before an administrative law judge of the NLRB who is expected to render a decision in the next two months. A spokesperson for MoMA said, “The suggestion that the museum laid off any employee because of union activity is categorically false; union activities are never a factor in making personnel decisions.”