A labor union filed a petition Monday morning to form a bargaining unit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that would represent nearly 1,000 workers, including curators, conservators, retail specialists and educators. If successful, union officials said, the Met would become one of the largest unionized museums in the country.
It was the first official move in a unionization effort that has quietly brewed inside the museum for more than five years, since a group of longtime employees shared concerns about job security and wage stagnation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Several other prominent New York museums have formed unions in recent years, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum. Those drives helped convince a number of Met employees that they could also unionize. The Met already has two smaller unions representing security guards and projectionists.
“Nothing happens quickly at the Met,” said Rebecca Capua, a conservator who has been employed at the museum for 16 years. “And we wouldn’t take a risk on a vote that we didn’t think we could win.”
Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers filed a petition Monday with the National Labor Relations Board asking for a vote on the union.
“Over many decades, we have worked to develop a culture of inclusivity, collaboration and creativity, and take every opportunity to uplift our employees,” said Ann Bailis, a Met Museum spokeswoman. “We respect the right to seek union representation and are proud of our longstanding relationships with DC37 and Local 306 IATSE, which represent a large segment of our staff.”
Over the last five years, more than a dozen museums have unionized across the country. Staff members have typically argued that unions could advocate better pay, benefits and job protection. Organizers have used a similar tactic at the Met Museum, where some employees have complained about a widening gap between management and rank-and-file staff.
The Met has 2,015 employees, with more than 600 earning more than $100,000 a year, a museum spokesperson said. Salaries have increased by an average of 4 percent every year over the past five years, the spokesperson said.
“Right now, we’re contending with several large-scale capital projects that displace people and create a lot of additional work for the staff,” Alison Clark, a collections manager, said in a statement. “Unionizing is the only way for us to have a strong collective voice to address concerns with the museum.”
The recent unionization drive in the museum sector comes as some institutions have struggled in the wake of the pandemic. Since it unionized, the Guggenheim has experienced two rounds of layoffs, citing financial challenges. The Brooklyn Museum had announced layoffs this year but agreed to voluntary separation packages instead after city officials said they would provide extra money for the museum.
Local 2110 has been a driving force behind the unionization of arts groups, and its leaders see the Met Museum as a chance to build momentum.
“People will follow the Met’s example,” said Maida Rosenstein, the union’s director of organizing. “I hope it means that museum workers across the country will look at this and organize.”
Zachary Small is a Times reporter writing about the art world’s relationship to money, politics and technology.
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