Museum Staff at the Whitney Set to Strike on October 5

Unionized staff at the Whitney Museum of American Art have set a strike deadline for Monday, October 5 if they do not receive a fair contract offer from the Museum. Workers voted to authorize strike action if necessary in mid September.

The Museum has a major retrospective exhibition of artist Roy Lichtenstein set to open to the public on October 11 and multiple VIP and donor events, with press and member previews starting October 6.  The union, Local 2110 UAW, has been bargaining with the Museum since early May to reach a second contract agreement but says that to date, the Museum’s offer is inadequate in light of inflation and the cost of living in New York City.

”It’s not that we want to strike,” says Derrick Charles, a Membership Associate at the Whitney and Union Chairperson. “We’d rather be working and doing our jobs but our wages are untenable for making ends meet in New York City.” Employed in the Visitor and Member Experience Department, Charles works in the Whitney lobby, selling tickets and memberships to visitors and answering questions. He’s been in the position since 2018 and earns $24 per hour.

Workers at two other institutions represented by UAW Local 2110, the Brooklyn Museum and the American Folk Art Museum, both reached tentative agreements with management on Monday. Read more in The Art Newspaper.