Museum Workers, Jolted by Pandemic Job Losses, Turn to Unions
The Covid-19 pandemic undercut feelings of job security at cultural institutions. Now there’s an uptick in efforts to organize.
The Philadelphia Art Museum in April 2020. Cultural institutions experienced widespread closures during the early months of the pandemic, and job losses remain significant.
Photographer: Hannah Yoon/Bloomberg
Workers at museums, zoos and other cultural institutions are stepping up efforts to unionize after suffering waves of job losses during the Covid-19 pandemic, with workforces at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Zoo and Museum of Contemporary Art among those that are pushing for more protection.
Workers at unionized cultural institutions experienced 28% fewer job cuts on average than those at non-unionized workplaces during the pandemic, according to a report by Cultural Workers United, a program run by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the leading unions representing public-service workers. Part-time and minority workers were disproportionately affected by job cuts during the pandemic, according to other recent surveys of cultural institutions.