'No Contract, No Matisse': Philadelphia Museum of Art Workers Win First Contract After Strike

Philadelphia Museum of Art workers won a first contract after a 19-day strike. Photo: Tim Tiebot

https://labornotes.org/2022/11/no-contract-no-matisse-philadelphia-museum-art-workers-win-first-contract-after-strike

November 17, 2022 / Liam Kelly

After a 19-day strike, members of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) union voted overwhelmingly in October to approve their first contract. Daily pickets had cut into the museum’s attendance and impacted preparation for an anticipated exhibit on the works of French painter Henri Matisse.

After two years of stalled negotiations, the 180 workers of AFSCME Local 397 forced the museum’s hand and attracted public support that placed the museum’s well-crafted reputation at risk.

The agreement includes a 14 percent raise over three years, an extra $500 for every five years of employment, a larger employer contribution to health care coverage, and, for the first time, four weeks of paid parental leave.

PASSION EXPLOITED
Low pay and poor job security are longstanding problems at cultural institutions. Museum work requires an array of technical skills and qualifications to preserve, display, and present historic works of art. Employers often exploit workers’ desires to work with these materials to undervalue their labor.

FULL story at link above.