Union organising
Employees at the Art Institute of Chicago museum and school ratify their first union contract
More than 500 workers at the institutions will get raises over 12%
Guggenheim Museum staff ratifies its first union contract
With 97% of the vote, museum employees signed their first union contract after two years at the bargaining table
Workers at New York's Hispanic Society will go on strike just as museum completes six-year renovation
Unionised workers at the museum cite stagnant wages, inadequate contracts and unsustainable workloads as just some of the problems at the world-class collection
With the threat of cuts, unions get militant in UK museums—and their membership is growing rapidly
Workers are increasingly turning to collective bargaining, industrial action and representation by trade unions
After strike and with a hard-won new contract, Philadelphia Museum of Art employees go back to work
Following a contentious few weeks that capped two years of negotiations, workers and administrators are eager to move forward, even if some sore spots remain
Philadelphia Museum of Art workers reach contract agreement, ending three-week strike
Following two years of negotiations and a historic strike by the museum’s unionised workers, employees and leaders agreed to a contract
Staff at the Dia Art Foundation vote overwhelmingly in favour of forming a union
More than 90% of workers voted to form a union at the institution, which operates spaces in Manhattan, Beacon and the Hamptons, as well as site-specific works in Manhattan, Utah, New Mexico and Germany
Mass Moca workers walk off the job for one-day strike
Unionised employees of the North Adams, Massachusetts museum sought to pressure the institution’s administration amid ongoing contract negotiations
London museums close galleries as temperatures reach record high
Staff union claims it pressured the V&A and British Museum to take special measures
Dia Art Foundation staff announce intentions to unionise
The proposed union would consist of 135 professional and non-professional staff at Dia sites in New York, Beacon, Long Island and New Mexico
Faculty at the ArtCenter College of Design in Southern California vote to form union
Faculty at the school voted 60% in favour of forming the union, which will represent some 700 people
New York’s Jewish Museum announces formation of a union
The unionisation follows similar decisions made by the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and others
Staff, faculty and students at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts hold rally amid union vote and negotiations
The rally comes as faculty who have already unionised seek to secure their first contract and staff members undertake a vote to form their own union
California College of the Arts and two unions reach agreements on new contracts
The agreements come after many months of negotiations and a strike in February
Workers at Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts move to form union
Staff at the arts centre recently informed the administration of their intention to unionise with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
State of the unions: why US museum workers are mobilising against their employers
With the arts sector increasingly vulnerable in the wake of the pandemic, a new breed of digitally optimised worker is emerging
Employees at New York City’s Jewish Museum vote to unionise
The union, if approved, will cover include workers across front-facing, administrative and curatorial departments, among others
MFA Boston workers who unionised go on strike
More than 200 workers at the museum are striking for a day in protest of stalled contract negotiations
Curators, conservators and educators at the Guggenheim seek to unionise
A United Auto Workers local that represents employees at several other museums files a petition on their behalf for a union vote
Workers at the Hispanic Society vote overwhelmingly to unionise
Employees at the New York institution join a phalanx of museum workers in the region seeking representation
Whitney voluntarily recognises a union local, sparing employees the need to organise a vote
From curators to porters, more than 180 workers are involved in the effort as labour campaigns multiply among US art institutions