MOUNTAINVILLE, N.Y. – More cultural workers are building power and gaining a voice on the job through AFSCME, this time in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley.
Workers in two CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000 bargaining units at Storm King Art Center (SKAC) — which describes itself as a 500-acre outdoor museum with large sculptures and art installations on site — are celebrating the approval of their first contracts.
Both workers and the SKAC Board of Trustees approved the two contracts in July following roughly eight months of negotiations.
Most full-time SKAC employees and several part-time workers formed CSEA Local 720 – Unit A last spring. The second unit, CSEA Local 720 – Unit VS, consists of workers from SKAC’s Visitor Services Department. Between both bargaining units, there are approximately 75 CSEA-represented jobs in different departments, including the administrative offices, the gift shop, in the Facilities and Conservation Department, Education Department and Visitor Services.
“During contract negotiations, workers maintained the same solidarity they showed when they were organizing their union, and they now have two strong contracts to show for it,” said CSEA Southern Region President Anthony Adamo. “We hope that workers in other cultural institutions can look to the CSEA members at Storm King Art Center as proof that there is power in a union and there is no substitute for the stability that comes with a union contract.”
CSEA — the Civil Service Employees Association — is one of New York’s top unions and is the largest affiliate of AFSCME. CSEA has about 300,000 members and represents state, county, municipal, school district, child care, and private sector employees.
The AFSCME Cultural Workers United campaign is a national movement of cultural workers at libraries, museums and zoos joining together to negotiate for better pay and working conditions, demand equity and fight for transparency in their workplaces. AFSCME represents more cultural workers than any other union, including 10,000 museum workers at 91 cultural institutions in the public and private sectors, and more than 25,000 library workers at 275 public and private libraries.
Workers at SKAC first connected with CSEA in late 2022 when they reached out to Cultural Workers United looking to form their union. Regulations from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) necessitated the separate bargaining unit for Visitor Services workers, but CSEA members at SKAC stand united.
“We see this first contract as a foundation we can build upon now that we have our union and the voice on the job that comes with it,” said Maureen Spaulding, a negotiating committee member from CSEA Local 720 – Unit A who works in SKAC’s Development Department. “Right away, we’re all benefiting from an immediate wage increase following our contract vote. Having that contract gives us a written guarantee for our wage increases, health insurance costs, and other benefits for the next several years. Before we organized our union, there were no guarantees year to year.”
Bam Bowen, a negotiating committee member from CSEA Local 720 – Unit VS who works as a team lead in that department, said a lot of work went into securing a fair contract.
“From organizing staff to getting cards signed, every step was a collective effort,” Bowen said. “We sat at the negotiating table, stood up for each other, and persevered together. I am so proud to work with these incredible folks and am proud of all we have achieved. We now have a collective voice and a seat at the table.”
Both contracts contain economic gains for workers that more fairly compensate SKAC’s diverse staff for their education, experience and expertise. Non-economic strides were also significant, with the new contracts codifying some existing practices, implementing due process procedures and ensuring “just cause” employment versus “at-will.”
Just the wage increases in the contract showcase the union difference. The average hourly wage for SKAC workers went from $18.28 to $20.16 when they announced their plans to unionize. The average wage for CSEA-represented SKAC workers in the first year of their contracts is $23.31 per hour. By 2027, it will jump to $25.17 per hour.
Other gains benefiting both bargaining units include a guaranteed employer contribution to workers’ 403(b) accounts, minimum call-in pay, cancelation pay for shifts canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice, pay for out-of-title work, and the addition of two days of paid time off.
Unit A’s contract runs through July 31, 2027, and Unit VS’s agreement ends July 31, 2028.