MCA recognizes worker union

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago says it will recognize a union representing about 100 employees who organized last month.

The new union, MCA Workers United, is part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, which has led a recent wave of successful unionizing efforts at city museums.

In a joint announcement Friday, the museum and new union said they had begun a process for employees to submit signed union cards to a third party for verification. Once verified, the museum will recognize the union, and they will prepare to begin negotiating a contract.

The union’s organizing committee praised the MCA’s decision to recognize the union, saying it shows “it can be a leader not only in contemporary art but in workers’ rights.”

“We appreciate the administration’s openness to this process and its respect for our collective decision to form our union,” the organizing committee wrote. “We look forward to working together as co-equals, union and management, toward a better museum where workers have a voice in the decisions that affect us and the institution’s future.”

The museum joined the employees in committing to the process.

“We respect our employees’ right to organize, and we are committed to working collectively on an agreement,” MCA Director Madeleine Grynsztejn said in the joint release. “Our executive team and Board of Trustees have collectively and voluntarily entered into an agreement with AFSCME Council 31, and we look forward to working together throughout this process.”

The union represents museum staff in the guest experience, building operations, curatorial, and collections and exhibitions areas.

In the union’s announcement last month, MCA employees demanded fair wages that keep pace with inflation, stable benefits and workplace protections. They also asked for a process to resolve problems at work that could include an independent third party.

Over the past two years, AFSCME has signed up members at the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and the Newberry Library. Workers at the Art Institute of Chicago, organized under AFSCME, ratified a contract in August.