Baltimore Museum of Art workers vote to join union

BALTIMORE -- Curators, conservators, security guards and other staffers at the Baltimore Museum of Art voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to join a union.

The workers will join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 67, a local union representing public services employees such as nurses, corrections officers and sanitation workers.

AFSCME says it represents more museum workers than any other union through Cultural Workers United, which counts staffers at the MET, the Museum of Contemporary Art L.A. and the American Museum of Natural History as members.

Employees at the BMA first announced intentions to unionize in September 2021. On Thursday night, they approved union membership by a vote of 89 to 29.

In a statement, Mayor Brandon Scott praised the results.

"I am incredibly proud of the workers at the BMA and my friends at AFSCME for a successful union election today," he said. "Coming from a union household, I know the power and agency that union membership affords workers. I am happy that more residents will be able to reap those benefits."

In multiple statements, workers said union membership would give them better pay and a voice in workplace decisions.

"I look forward to the formation of a union at the BMA because it can help to make our jobs a sustainable and long-lasting career choice. Pushing for and attaining better pay and balanced workloads keeps workers from being forced to leave their positions. I have seen talented people have to make the difficult choice to leave the BMA and I am excited to change that future with my colleagues," said Adam Rush, a conservation preparator.

"I'm so excited to see the changes that this new structure will bring to our museum. We now have a voice in making a better workplace and a better life for each other. We're eager to see the ways in which this benefits our entire organization from the bottom up," said Leila Grothe, an associate curator.

AFSCME Council 67 is leading similar campaigns at the Walters Art Museum and Enoch Pratt Free Library.

Employees at the Walters, organizing under the name Walters Workers United, announced in May 2021 their intentions to unionize.

While administrators have expressed support for the effort in writing, they have not yet agreed to hold a vote, prompting the mayor to write a letter last month calling for an election. 

"There is no reason for the Walters not to follow the path of the Baltimore Museum of Art in signing an election agreement and proceeding with an election conducted by a neutral third-party arbitrator," Scott said.

According to an article in Bmore Art, workers at the library system announced their intentions to unionize at the start of June.

Organizers with Pratt Workers United released a statement calling for better wages, benefits for full- and part-time workers, more opportunities for advancement, and a greater say in workplace conditions.

"We deserve to have our expertise, knowledge, and ideas seen as valuable resources," the statement said. "We deserve to be treated with respect and dignity."