Safety officers protesting on the Seattle Artwork Museum in February 2024 (all photographs courtesy SAM VSO Union)
Just lately, I’ve entered my eleventh 12 months 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 now we have been working to arrange gallery guards to attain higher wages, restoration of our retirement advantages, and larger employee protections on the museum. In latest weeks, after 27 months of contract delays by SAM, negotiations have reached a breaking level, and employees have had no selection however to take drastic measures.
Our union is impartial, which implies we’re worker-run and arranged, however this was not by selection. The Nationwide Labor Relations Board, even underneath 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 help, and infrastructure that partnering with a big union gives.
On the optimistic facet, this additionally extra rapidly uncovered that the Board’s pursuits and incentives run counter to the wants of SAM staff.
Josh Davis talking at a union rally on the Seattle Artwork Museum on November 19, 2004
We all know that the SAM Board contains a number of the wealthiest folks 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, considered one of which is growing 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 usually 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 by the museum’s nonprofit construction.
Museums supply a number of the greatest “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 might earmark donations solely 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 folks, museum staff not do it as a “fun, part-time job,” however moderately for survival. This 12 months, the price of residing in Seattle has turn out to be unmanageably costly. It prices about $33 per hour to lease a one-bedroom house in Seattle in 2024, in accordance with 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 enlargement.
SAM’s most up-to-date five-year strategic plan consists of plans to “develop” the gathering, exhibition packages, and gallery areas. Board Member Jon Shirley, a serious artwork collector and former president, CEO, and director of the tech large Microsoft, mentioned in a 2018 interview that showcasing his Alexander Calder assortment “takes a lot of room,” and instructed “taking down the floors above it” to create extra area “because we own those floors.” Shirley additionally led the event of the Olympic Sculpture Park (OSP) in 2007, considered one of SAM’s most bold expansions which additionally turned the 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 vastly for it. In prior years, we had earned a pension profit that allowed employees to retire with dignity, as a substitute 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 out to be extra worthwhile; and if it does, safety guards ought to belief that these future advantages will probably be handed on to its employees.
However as a substitute of ready for these advantages to trickle down, our union licensed a strike vote final month, with 96% of votes in favor. We plan to go on strike starting this Friday, November 29, until SAM’s Board of Trustees modifications course and provides a contract that enables its employees to outlive in Seattle. For 2 years, the Board has refused outright to fulfill with us, so now we take the argument on to them.
On November 19, we held a rally at our museum through the VIP preview of Shirley’s second Calder present this 12 months. We despatched our message to the Board loud and clear: Artwork establishments must cease appearing “symbolically,” and begin supporting their staff for actual.