Met Museum Workers Unionize

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Employees at the Metropolitan Museum of Art have officially unionized, workers and museum officials said Friday.

The bargaining unit, which would represent curators, conservationists, retail workers, librarians, tech workers, and visitor experience coordinators, won the union election with a vote of 542 yays to 172 nays.

With 76 percent in favor of unionizing, the workers in the Met Union are joining United Auto Workers Local 2110, the union and museum representatives said Friday.

"I’ve worked at The Met for 31 years and I truly love it but our expertise and our labor have real value deserving of recognition," Stephanie Post, a digital archivist at the Met, said.

The Met Union said 100 more ballots remain sealed after being challenged by the Met, which objected to including those staff members in the union. The union says the eligibility of employees in these roles will be determined through a mutually agreed-upon arbitration process once the union is formally certified by the National Labor Relations Board.

Local 2110 UAW also represents workers at multiple art museums and other cultural institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim and the Whitney.

Many other Met employees, including security guards, are already represented by two other unions.

"As one of the world’s leading art museums, The Met 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," a spokesperson from the museum said.

"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 new union formation is the culmination of more than four years of organizing, a Met Union spokesperson said.

"By unionizing, we aren't just protecting our own jobs — we are building a collective voice to ensure every staff member, now and in the future, gets the respect and protection they deserve," Post said.

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