On Monday morning, a labor union petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to approve a bargaining unit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that would cover roughly 1,000 salaried and hourly workers across the museum’s sectors. If the vote passes, the Met would rank among the largest unionized museums in the nation.
A press release from Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers (UAW) on November 17 cited “long term pay inequities, lack of job protection and ever-increasing workloads” as motivations for unionizing. Local 2110 represents workers across New York’s museums and cultural institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, the New Museum, and the Shed.
At present, two smaller unions at the museum represent security guards and projectionists.
“Over many decades, we have worked to develop a culture of inclusivity, collaboration and creativity, and take every opportunity to uplift our employees,” Ann Bailis, a Met Museum spokeswoman, told The New York Times. “We respect the right to seek union representation and are proud of our longstanding relationships with DC37 and Local 306 IATSE, which represent a large segment of our staff.”
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw cultural professionals nationwide lose their livelihoods, momentum for unions and unionization efforts at art museums, cultural institutions, and art schools nationwide has only grown. Each drive has been united by calls for job security, better wages, and clearer paths for advancement.
A major union drive had reportedly been brewing at the Met for several years, and Local 2110 UAW said this week that employees officially reached out in 2022.
The Met has 2,015 employees, and according to a museum spokesperson, more than 600 of them earn over $100,000 annually. The spokesperson added that salaries have increased by an average of 4 percent each year over the past five years.
“However, the Museum often makes decisions without considering or consulting staff, such as changes to our Work from Home policy and erosion of our health and other benefits,” said Alison Clark, a collections manager at the Met for nearly 20 years, in a statement, as first quoted by Hyperallergic.
“Right now, we’re contending with several large-scale capital projects that displace people and create a lot of additional work for the staff. Unionizing is the only way for us to have a strong collective voice to address concerns with the Museum,” she continued.
On the same day as the union announcement, the Met revealed the Costume Institute spring 2026 blockbuster exhibition, simply titled “Costume Art,” which will inaugurate the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast galleries adjacent to the Great Hall. The museum also announced Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, as the lead sponsors of the Met Gala for 2026, the institute’s star-studded fundraiser.
