Guggenheim Museum staff ratifies union contract
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, October 11, 2024


Guggenheim Museum staff ratifies union contract
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, May 12, 2009. The Guggenheim Museum announced Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, that it had reached an agreement with its workers’ union after more than two years of bargaining and that nearly 150 curators, conservators and other employees connected with Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers had ratified their first contract. (Tony Cenicola/The New York Times)

by Zachary Small



NEW YORK, NY.- The Guggenheim Museum announced Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with its workers’ union after more than two years of bargaining and that nearly 150 curators, conservators and other employees connected with Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers had ratified their first contract.

The contract goes into effect immediately, providing an average salary increase of 11% over the lifetime of the 2 1/2-year contract, which will run through Dec. 31, 2025. The contract delivers improved health and retirement benefits and includes a grievance procedure with arbitration and a requirement that managers have just cause to fire an employee.

The museum said in a statement by its communications director, Sara Fox, that it was “pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement.”

Demands for unionization coincided with some of the greatest challenges that Guggenheim leaders had faced in the museum’s eight decades. Staff members organized in 2021 during the pandemic, when employees felt great uncertainty over layoffs. The organization was also undergoing a moment of deep reflection after a reckoning on race led its chief curator, Nancy Spector, to leave her job.

Two years earlier, art handlers and maintenance workers had voted to join Local 30 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. The museum director at that time, Richard Armstrong, emailed employees saying that he believed a union would inject divisiveness “on a daily basis” into the institution. (Armstrong retired this year, and a new director has not been named.)

“It feels great to have a contract that’s the culmination of all of our organizing efforts,” Julie Smitka, an associate producer at the museum, said in a statement. “It’s transformative for our workplace. Not only are there increases that exceed what the Guggenheim historically granted, but we now have rights at work that are legally enforceable.”

The Guggenheim said that while there had been other wage increases, they had not been locked in for years at a time.

Maida Rosenstein, director of organizing for Local 2110, said in an interview that terms of the contract were roughly equivalent to those in others the union had struck with institutions such as the Whitney Museum and the New Museum. But the contract covers a period that is noticeably shorter than those in other agreements — half of the standard five-year term.

“For a first contract, a shorter contract is better because it serves as a foundation for us to build upon in future negotiations,” Alan Seise, a public programs manager and member of the bargaining committee, said in a phone interview. “The Guggenheim is in a moment of change, and I think the unionization effort is part of that.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

August 10, 2023

Swiss museum cashier pockets more than $1 million in yearslong scam

Guggenheim Museum staff ratifies union contract

How 4 countries are preparing to bring stolen treasures home

'Alice Neel: Feels Like Home' on view until October at the OCMA

'Ashmolean Now: Flora Yukhnovich and Daniel Crews-Chubb' large-scale works on view until January 2024

Morphy's July Automobilia & Petroliana auction crosses finish line at impressive $2.3M

Now open 'Imprinting in Time: Chinese Printmaking at the Beginning of a New Era'

Season dedicated to the material of paper has opened with various exhibitions at Messums Wiltshire

Kruse GWS Auction announces the 'Artifacts of Hollywood & Music' sale featuring memorabilia from life of Kurt Cobain

With National Monument designation, Biden tries to balance electoral realities

Nohra Haime Gallery is now presenting 'Sophia Vari: A Retrospective'

'What a Carry On' as series of posters shows plenty of appetite for comedy franchise

The toughest 'Barbie' critics are Barbie collectors

A pianist adapts to life with Parkinson's Disease

Can this festival keep a New York sandwich tradition alive?

Michael Boyd, who invigorated the Royal Shakespeare Company, dies at 68

Is social justice for the birds? Audubon attempts an answer.

After a long and painful absence, writing her way home again

Twist in dancer's killing as key detail about suspect is challenged

The wide world of puppetry converges on New York

New exhibition now on view at Tandem Press curated by Teyjhana Barton-Neal

Oil painting by Louis C. Tiffany and French carved walnut vestiment chest headline Ahlers & Ogletree's August auction

Everson Museum of Art is now presenting "Frank Buffalo Hyde: Native Americana"

Phillips announces new digital platform presenting works by contemporary artists and makers

How to never be bored: 4 tips from the Asiavibe

Abstract Artist and Prolific Lighting Designer marc brickman Releases New Series, 20 X 20 X 22

How to Prepare for Math School in the USA?

How to Find the Right Criminal Defense Lawyer in Galveston?




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful