South Street Seaport Museum Staff Vote to Authorize Strike

Staff at the South Street Seaport Museum in lower Manhattan, who are negotiating their first contract, have voted unanimously to authorize strike action if they are unable to reach an agreement.

Esme Levitch, a Public Programs Associate who has worked at the Museum since 2022, says: “We’ve been bargaining with the Museum for over a year now and we feel we have no choice but to move forward with a strike action if we can’t come to terms.” Levitch, who averages 30-40 hours per week, is classified as part-time by the Museum and receives no health benefits or paid vacation. Depending upon her assignment, she is paid either $22 or $23 per hour.

The Union is proposing hourly rates of between $22 and $28 per hour, depending upon the position, and a yearly $1500 stipend that workers can use toward health care.

The Seaport Museum Union is the fourth New York City Museum Union (all units of Local 2110 UAW) to authorize strike action this month. Workers at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) have each voted overwhelmingly to authorize their elected bargaining committee to set a strike deadline if necessary. Follow the South Street Seaport Museum Union here!