Security workers at the Seattle Museum of Art (SAM) ended their 11-day strike strike last week, with an overwhelming majority (98%) of unionized employees voting to ratify their first contract with the museum. The strike, which began on 29 November, involved between 60 and 70 full- and part-time workers unionised as the SAM Visitor Service Officer (VSO) Union.
The new contract took effect immediately, resulting in base wages rising from $21.68 to $24.18. Staff returned to work on Wednesday (11 December) and, according to Marcela Soto Ramirez, the SAM VSO Union’s lead, they “have been attending to work normally since then”.
Other features of the new contract include reinstating retirement contributions that had ceased at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. known as employer 403(b) retirement contributions, they began at 1% and will go as high as 3% after three years. The contract also stipulates that workers are guaranteed equivalent or better healthcare benefits, even if the museum changes providers or plans, for the life of the contract.
“Overall, it is a great win,” Soto Ramirez says. “We stood together and won benefits back for ourselves while also restoring the pre-Covid retirement policy for everyone in the museum.”
“This contract addresses the unique working conditions of VSOs and the important services they provide while maintaining our commitment to equity across the staff,” Scott Stulen, the museum’s director and chief executive, said in a statement provided to The Art Newspaper.
Another aspect of the new contract consists of a union security agreement, meaning that the bargaining unit is now considered a union shop so all future VSO staff that are hired will be required to automatically join the union and pay dues.
“The union is proud of this success. After a long fight for this first contract, we kept our strength and focus,” Soto Ramirez says. “The bargaining team worked hard for this deal and the members stood firm, backing them up in a strike that finally, thanks to the workers and community efforts, moved the museum and empowered people. We all have seen and experienced how it feels to fight and win together, and that will leave a mark on everyone.”
While the union was able to gain ground on many key issues, it also had to compromise on certain demands. The union and museum could not come to an agreement on livable wages and seniority pay, for instance.
The new contract was hard won for the union, which had been bargaining for close to 28 months—essentially since it formed in 2022. According to labor data compiled by Museums Moving Forward, the average length of time for a union to reach its first contract is 17 months.
