Metropolitan Museum of Art employees unionize, citing heavy workloads and pay equity concerns

Employees at the Upper East Side’s Metropolitan Museum of Art voted to unionize last week, citing concerns about workloads, pay equity, job security, and “transparency about employment policies.”

The vote passed with a 76% margin, with 542 votes in favor, 172 votes against, and 100 ballots that remain sealed because the museum “objected to inclusion of these staff in the union,” according to a Jan. 16 announcement from the union.

“We won because we were able to convince our colleagues that they don’t have to accept whatever is offered to them, that their experience and hard work has earned them a seat at the table,” Rebecca Capua, a conservator who has worked at the museum for 16 years, said in the union’s news release .

The historic vote follows a petition by employees in November to create a union and four years of organizing. The new union, part of United Auto Workers Local 2110, represents nearly 1,000 employees, making it one of the largest museum unions in the nation.

Metropolitan Museum of Art is “committed to supporting” its staff

In a statement to amNewYork, a Met spokesperson wrote that the museum has “long been committed to supporting its exceptional staff with highly competitive salaries and benefit packages that surpass industry standards; robust professional development opportunities; and a culture that values inclusivity, creativity, collaboration, and excellence.”

“We are proud of our well-established history of working together with DC37 and Local 306 IATSE, and look forward to engaging with the UAW as we pursue The Met’s mission to connect all people to creativity, knowledge, ideas, and one another,” the spokesperson wrote.

The spokesperson did not respond to an inquiry about the museum’s challenge of 100 employee ballots.

The eligibility of these employees “will be determined through a mutually agreed upon arbitration process after the union is officially certified by the National Labor Relations Board,” the union wrote in its release. The NLRB declined to comment.

Maida Rosenstein, the union’s director of organizing, wrote in a statement to amNewYork that the museum “objected to the inclusion of the 100 people referred to, saying that they should not be eligible for union representation, claiming that the individuals involved hold positions that are either ‘confidential’ or are ‘supervisory.’

“The union believes that the museum has made these claims on flimsy grounds and that the individuals should rightfully be eligible to be part of our union,” Rosenstein wrote.

The museum spokesperson wrote to amNewYork that the parties agreed that select employees could participate in the vote, and that a final determination on whether the National Labor Relations Act excludes those roles from joining a union would happen after the election. The Museum and the union are now working through the standard NLRB process, according to the spokesperson.

The National Labor Relations Act excludes managers, supervisors, and “confidential employees” from joining a union.

During unionization processes, parties must agree on voting eligibility , and only employees who have been determined eligible may have their votes counted.

According to a Met spokesperson, over 600 of the museum’s 2,000 employees earn over $100,000 annually. Museum salaries have increased by an average of 4% each year over the last five years, and the museum has kept employee contributions at 6% for the last nine years.

The union includes staff from 50 departments at the Met, including curators, conservators, librarians, sales specialists, visitor experience coordinators, development officers, archivists, digital and information technology staff, according to the union’s news release.

“Unionizing with UAW Local 2110 is only our first step and we look forward to negotiating a fair and equitable contract that reflects staff needs and priorities,” Alison Clark, a collections manager in Asian Art who has worked at the museum for over two decades, said in the news release.

In addition to nearly 1,000 employees’ new membership in Local 2110, some Met employees are already represented by DC37 — New York City’s largest public sector union — and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Local 2110 represents workers at cultural and educational institutions across New York.

“We look forward to working in solidarity with our fellow unions,” the new union’s website reads.