Workers at The Hispanic Society Out on Strike Since Monday
The staff of the Hispanic Society of America, members of UAW Local 2110, officially went out on strike starting Monday morning, with workers gathering outside the Society's building at 613 West 155th Street starting at 7am. Workers unionized in 2021 after the Board of Trustees of the Society terminated their pension plan while keeping wages stagnant for years.
The Hispanic Society is demanding employee payments for health care premiums and deductibles that were previously covered by the Hispanic Society. Workers say that the wage increases offered will not offset the additional cost to benefits. The Union also says that the Society is trying to remove as many positions as possible from union eligibility by threatening to subcontract out positions and by misclassifying positions as temporary. Workers have repeatedly complained about workloads, lack of staffing and concerns about the safety of the collection, which includes masterpieces of Spain, Portugal and Latin America.