Mystic Seaport Museum Workers File to Join AFSCME
Harold Phillips | Published on 3/27/2026
Staff at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut went public last week with their effort to form a union with AFSCME Council 4. As part of the AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United (CWU) organizing campaign, the union filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on behalf of workers at the country’s most prominent maritime museum. Staff cite concerns around transparency, job security, health care and wages as core motivators for organizing for a voice on the job.
“Mystic Seaport Museum is a great place to work, but it could be an incredible place to work,” said Ashley Giordano, a docent at the museum, in a press release. “We need more protections for our staff and a voice to ensure the museum continues to be a place that visitors want to go to! The thing that makes the museum so special is the people who work here. Time and time again, that is what visitors say they value the most.”
“We hope that the Mystic Seaport Museum will [stay neutral] to recognize the right of these workers to organize rather than pursue a divisive campaign,” Council 4 said. “But make no mistake: we are ready to fight to ensure these workers are heard, respected, and empowered to protect the programs and staff that make the museum what it is.”
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