Workers at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the largest art museum in the western United States, have officially gone public with their effort to form a union with AFSCME Cultural Workers United District Council 36.
Curators, educators, guest relations associates and other staff sent an open letter to their co-workers, the museum’s executive team and the board of trustees to announce the formation of their union, LACMA United.
Workers cited the strain of high turnover and understaffing as core motivators for forming a union, and they are looking to negotiate a contract with fair wages, expanded benefits and increased transparency.
“I’ve had the privilege of editing books and exhibition materials at LACMA for nearly 25 years,” Sara Cody, who works as a senior publications editor, said in a press release. “But as departments have shrunk and workloads have grown increasingly unsustainable, it’s become more and more challenging to uphold the level of excellence these projects deserve. Forming our union will ensure that we all have the resources and respect to consistently produce our best work as the museum moves forward.”