Brooklyn Museum Workers Protest Mass Layoffs and Contract Breaches

Amid plans to move forward with mass layoffs at the Brooklyn Museum, members of the institution’s unions rallied outside the main entrance on Eastern Parkway on Tuesday  to protest the plan to terminate 47 employees by March 10. More than 200 members of UAW Local 2110 and AFSCME Local 1502 (DC 37) along with supporters gathered to make their concerns known to the public and to museum leadership. Workers represented by the unions range from art handlers, curatorial assistants, maintenance workers, clerical workers, assistants, educators, curators, conservators, guards and retail workers to technicians.

Chants of “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” could be heard all along Eastern Parkway. Workers from other institutions including the Whitney Museum were present to support their colleagues. The rally was planned for the evening of the Chairman’s Dinner—an event for major donors and trustees—to put pressure on the institution, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. Guest speakers at the rally included Brooklyn Borough president Antonio Reynoso and New York City Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Justin Brannan.

“This is about standing in solidarity to fight these layoffs,” Liz St George, one of the affected workers and the union chair for Local 2110 told The Art Newspaper. “The museum is going to have to get the money from somewhere else, not from its workers, who are the heart and soul of this institution.”  Learn more from ABC 7,PIX 11, and Hyperallergic.