The workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art won their contract. After two years of fruitless negotiation, a 19-day strike, and systematic heel-dragging from the upper echelons of the organization, the PMA union and museum leadership reached a tentative agreement on Friday, 14 October 2022. An exultant membership ratified the tentative agreement two days later on Sunday.

Rewind the clock back two years to August 6, 2020. The museum workers had just voted by a 181-22 margin to form their first union, affiliating with Local 397, part of AFSCME District Council 47. The next step was obvious: negotiate a contract for fair compensation and a better workplace. There is no standard length for negotiations, but a recent comparable scenario at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts stretched out for 18 months.

The workers in Philadelphia hoped for a speedier conclusion. Little did they know that two years later they still would not have a serious negotiating partner in museum leadership.

The Philly Inquirer reported that the delay was a feature of, not a flaw in, the museum’s response to the union:

Part of the reason for sluggish negotiations, said one source who was not authorized to comment on the negotiations and asked to not be identified, is that museum leadership “was under the impression that the employees would not strike and if they did, they couldn’t ‘hold the strike.’”

In other words, workers would drop out and cross the line.

Said the source: “They were sorely mistaken.”

The PMA Union indicated that it was done waiting on August 30, 2022, when 99% of its membership voted to authorize a one-day “warning” strike.

After the one-day strike on September 16 failed to stimulate contract talks, the PMA Union launched an indefinite strike at the end of September.

The Museum tried to weather the strike in the short term with scab labor, hiring non-union workers to prepare for the high-profile Matisse exhibit premiering at the end of October.

After 19 days of striking, with no signs of let up, and signals of support coming from all quarters, including museum patrons, industry peers, fellow union workers, politicians, and Scabby the Rat, the Museum’s new director Sasha Suda looked to make a deal.

Per the PMA Union, the strike aimed to achieve five goals and the union won all five. Per the union Twitter:

1. Higher raises. Six raises over 3 years totaling 14%.

2. First raise retroactive to July 1

3. Higher minimums. $15 to $16.75 hourly, upper $30s to $42k salary.

4. Longevity pay to recognize length of service to the museum

5. Cheaper healthcare! Cost of the plan most of us are on is reduced by over 50%.

Other wins in our contract: 

- 4 weeks of paid parental leave, up from ZERO

- More bereavement leave

- A pay equity committee

- Limits on temps and subcontractors

- and more

It’s a big win for the workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It’s also a milestone for progress in an industry where the high-minded mission of the public museum does not always translate to equitable treatment for the workers who make it all possible. In the words of the president of the union’s Local 397, via the NYT:

“This will have a huge impact on the workers at the museum, and I think it will also potentially have ripple effects outward to other cultural institutions,” Mr. Rizzo said.