CHICAGO – Chicago History Museum employees are making history of their own.
On Feb. 12, they announced they're forming their union with AFSCME Council 31. The news came in a public letter signed by 27 members of the union’s organizing committee and distributed to their co-workers.
“We are sincerely committed to this institution and the work we do in carrying out its mission and caring for its vast collections, but we need proper support and resources,” the workers wrote.
The letter says that together in their union, employees will seek better communication with management, improved job security, livable wages, a voice on the job and fight for other priorities.
When certified, Chicago History Museum Workers United/AFSCME will represent nearly 70 employees, including curators, librarians, designers, visitor services associates, maintenance technicians and others.
“The history of Chicago is deeply rooted in the labor movement, and we are honored to not only preserve and share, but to make our own place in that history alongside our colleagues at cultural institutions across Chicago,” the workers wrote.
Hannah Johnson, a member of the organizing committee, told WBEZ Chicago Public Radio she and other museum workers were inspired by unions that cultural workers recently formed locally and nationally.
“We felt that now was a really good time to really seek out that sense of stability and security regarding our jobs, our wages and our benefits, and also request higher degrees of transparency from management,” Johnson said. “It does feel a lot more secure to see this snowball effect. … All of these other places in our city have done this and won, so why shouldn’t we? Why can’t we?”
History Museum workers are the latest Chicago-area cultural workers to form a union with AFSCME in recent years. They’re joining the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, the Museum of Science & Industry, Shedd Aquarium and others.
AFSCME Cultural Workers United is leading the largest organizing movement for cultural workers across the country. We represent 42,000 cultural workers at museums, zoos, libraries and other cultural institutions, more than any other union.
Our members provide vital services that keep America’s cultural institutions running. We are curators, library assistants, security officers, zookeepers, conservators, facilities workers, educators and so much more.
Our movement includes employees from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the MET, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in L.A. (MOCA) and many others across the country. Click here to see a list of more cultural workers we represent.