Milwaukee Art Museum Workers Announce Organizing Campaign to Join the IAMAW
Milwaukee, August 10th, 2020 – Today over 150 workers at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) are taking steps to organize with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) District 10. Currently, only the museum’s security guards are represented by the IAMAW through a collective bargaining relationship that extends back decades. Today, other non-management MAM employees are seeking the same voice and protections that the security guards currently enjoy. The security guards reached a tentative contract agreement with the art museum this past Wednesday 8/5/2020. Their contract ratification vote is scheduled for today.
Milwaukee Art Museum workers are passionate art advocates who believe that MAM is a vital source of inspiration and education for the people of Wisconsin. They are central to carrying out the museum’s mission and are raising their voices for changes in working conditions that will make MAM a stronger, more transparent institution that is a true partner to the Milwaukee community. They seek a seat at the table in order to work towards financial fairness, social justice, and job security at MAM.
Ryan Jann, who works in Visitor Services said, “In times like these, when the world is reeling, it is essential for us to come together in solidarity. The issues we face at work impact us all. By putting our individual voices together into one voice, we can improve our working conditions and advocate for those who are most precarious among us.”
MAM workers join a recent wave of art museum organizing across the country including workers at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh, and most recently the Philadelphia Institute of Art where last week 89% of workers voted to unionize.
About the IAM – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, shipbuilding, woodworking, and other industries. To learn more, visit www.iamawd10.org or contact Alex Hoekstra, Directing Business Representative at hoekalex@yahoo.com or (920) 210-7754.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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