Workers at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, asked their bosses to recognize their union in August. The museum said no. So they took it to a federal vote, and won 41 to 16. The National Labor Relations Board has certified Workers United as their union.
How it went. On Aug. 28, the workers delivered a letter to museum director Bruce Barnes and the board of trustees asking for voluntary recognition, according to the Rochester Beacon. The museum declined. Three days later, on Aug. 31, they filed for an election with the NLRB.
The vote was held Oct. 2. The board’s tally shows 41 votes for the union and 16 against. Eight ballots were challenged, too few to change the result. The NLRB lists 69 eligible voters.
Who they are. The group calls itself GEMWU, the George Eastman Museum Workers United. Its members include preparators, conservators and a community and volunteer liaison. “Creating this union is such a major victory,” preparator Andrea Edwards said, according to the Beacon. Assistant conservator Emily Phoenix said the workers look forward to working with museum leadership on shared goals.
The fight in between. The workers called the museum’s closed-door meetings with outside consultants “union busting.” The museum disputed that, the Beacon reported.
Nobody handed these workers a seat at the table. They asked, were told no, and then won the vote. Bargaining comes next.