Safety officers protesting on the Seattle Artwork Museum in February 2024 (all pictures courtesy SAM VSO Union)
Just lately, I’ve entered my eleventh yr as a gallery guard on the Seattle Artwork Museum (SAM). Since 2022, I’ve additionally been a member of the SAM Customer Service Officers (VSO) Union, the place we now have been working to prepare gallery guards to realize higher wages, restoration of our retirement advantages, and higher employee protections on the museum. In current weeks, after 27 months of contract delays by SAM, negotiations have reached a breaking level, and employees have had no alternative however to take drastic measures.
Our union is impartial, which suggests we’re worker-run and arranged, however this was not by alternative. The Nationwide Labor Relations Board, even beneath the Biden administration, failed to guard our proper to affiliate with a nationwide union. The museum’s Board of Trustees took benefit of a authorized loophole round “security workers” within the Nationwide Labor Relations Act to cease our affiliation with Worldwide Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) Native 116 in 2022. This transfer disadvantaged us of the funds, authorized assist, and infrastructure that partnering with a big union offers.
On the optimistic facet, this additionally extra rapidly uncovered that the Board’s pursuits and incentives run counter to the wants of SAM workers.
Josh Davis talking at a union rally on the Seattle Artwork Museum on November 19, 2004
We all know that the SAM Board contains among the wealthiest individuals in Seattle, and that they derive advantages from being on the Board. For instance, Board members revenue financially from their affiliation with museums in quite a few methods, one in all which is rising the worth of their private artwork collections. A number of additionally leverage their so-called “philanthropy” at our arts establishments to launder their company reputations and ties to environmentally damaging industries. This popularity of benevolence is then typically exploited for political energy. Moreover, donors have an enormous quantity of management over how their funds are used, that means that in lots of instances, private initiatives might be pursued via the museum’s nonprofit construction.
Museums supply among the finest “bang for your buck” in advantages, so far as philanthropy goes. Nonetheless, the state of affairs is altering with the expansion of the museum union motion, which has responded to revenue inequality and the housing disaster nationwide.
Previously, many donors may earmark donations completely for private museum initiatives, and employee compensation stayed out of their sight. However as a result of circumstances within the US have worsened for working individuals, museum workers now not do it as a “fun, part-time job,” however moderately for survival. This yr, the price of dwelling in Seattle has turn into unmanageably costly. It prices about $33 per hour to hire a one-bedroom condominium in Seattle in 2024, in response to the Nationwide Low Earnings Housing Coalition.
SAM VSO Union banner asserting a rally on November 19, 2024
This rationalization would have carried extra weight if the museum had not introduced in January they’d be pursuing additional growth.
SAM’s most up-to-date five-year strategic plan contains plans to “develop” the gathering, exhibition applications, and gallery areas. Board Member Jon Shirley, a serious artwork collector and former president, CEO, and director of the tech big Microsoft, mentioned in a 2018 interview that showcasing his Alexander Calder assortment “takes a lot of room,” and advised “taking down the floors above it” to create extra house “because we own those floors.” Shirley additionally led the event of the Olympic Sculpture Park (OSP) in 2007, one in all SAM’s most bold expansions which additionally grew to become town’s largest greenspace.
However as SAM’s operations expanded to incorporate OSP throughout this similar interval, the establishment dealt its employees a blow they’ve but to get better from. Round 2006, the museum Board terminated the pension program for SAM’s frontline employees. Shirley, who was Board president on the time, allotted his donations towards his ardour: creating an area to show his Calder assortment. And the employees suffered tremendously for it. In prior years, we had earned a pension profit that allowed employees to retire with dignity, as an alternative of being pressured to work previous retirement age. Sadly, the Board continues to chip away at our present, inadequate retirement advantages.
After 27 months of contract delays by SAM, negotiations have reached a breaking level.
Within the bargaining room, SAM continues to say that with additional expansions and upgrades, the museum might sometime turn into extra worthwhile; and if it does, safety guards ought to belief that these future advantages will likely be handed on to its employees.
However as an alternative of ready for these advantages to trickle down, our union approved a strike vote final month, with 96% of votes in favor. We plan to go on strike starting this Friday, November 29, except SAM’s Board of Trustees modifications course and gives a contract that permits its employees to outlive in Seattle. For 2 years, the Board has refused outright to satisfy with us, so now we take the argument on to them.
On November 19, we held a rally at our museum in the course of the VIP preview of Shirley’s second Calder present this yr. We despatched our message to the Board loud and clear: Artwork establishments must cease appearing “symbolically,” and begin supporting their workers for actual.
