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Director of Organizing for United Auto Workers Local 2110 Maida Rosenstein, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the Hispanic Society Museum and Library. Rosenstein outlined the reasons for the museum workers' strike and their battle for a first contract.
The Hispanic Society Museum and Library was founded in 1904 to establish a free, public museum and reference library for the study of the art and culture of Spain, Portugal, Latin America and the Philippines. It is a free public library, museum and educational institution containing objects of artistic, historic and literary interest. Like many other museums, the Hispanic Society relies on mostly low-paid labor to complete many of the day-to-day tasks, with a more experienced staff of researchers and curators handling the exhibits, said Rosenstein.
The museum was temporarily closed by the Board of Trustees in 2017 for remodeling. This temporary closure was extended due to the pandemic. The closure, along with not being able to raise enough money for the planned remodeling, resulted in the termination of many of the low-wage museum employees. The remaining workers, mostly curators and researchers who had spent their careers at this museum, decided to seek union representation after their employer froze the employees’ pension plan. The vote to unionize was approved by an overwhelming majority according to Rosenstein.
For nearly 18 months, negotiations went nowhere. Then the employer issued a final offer to the workers that would see major cuts to their benefits. This was the point where workers decided to walk out, just as the museum announced several key reopening events. The workers used these events to hold their pickets, informing donors and other key figures about the practices of the employer. These events helped the workers to finally secure a contract with no concessions on their part, Rosenstein said.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
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