The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is laying off 33 employees amid a growing $13 million budget deficit, triggering renewed tensions with its unionized workforce and raising concerns about the impact of cuts on curatorial and scholarly positions. Please see Sarah Cascone ArtNet News Article dated January 30, 2026 for additional information.
UAW members took the union’s working-class agenda to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, lobbying political leaders to support legislation advancing the union’s four core issues.
Delegates from each of the UAW’s nine regions met with their respective elected representatives to share their personal stories and to push for pro-worker policies, including affordable healthcare, protecting and expanding worker rights to freely organize, shorter work weeks and improved paid leave, and real retirement security for every American.
On Tuesday evening, UAW Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock welcomed attendees to the Congressional & Movement Allies Reception, reminding UAW members that it’s on all of us to fight for a better tomorrow.
“If there’s one thing that’s been made absolutely clear over the last forty years, it’s that billionaires and corporations will never use their influence and power over our government to make life better for everyday Americans,” Mock told attendees. “Only WE can do that. It is our time to lead and to stand up to the oppressive forces we are seeing today… to give people inspiration, hope, and the belief that, if we stand together and fight, we can ensure our country works for working people.”
The final day of the 2026 National CAP Conference will convene at 9 am tomorrow and will feature U.S. Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock (GA), a Michigan Senate Forum at 10 am, followed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (VT). All three events will be livestreamed on UAW YouTube, X, and Facebook.
Recap of Day One of the National CAP Conference
Recap of Day Two of the National CAP Conference
For more information on this year’s event, visit UAW.org/CAP2026.
Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla and Local 2325 supports the emergency rally for striking CAMBA IT Department workers.
CAMBA just announced plans to eliminate its entire IT departments, which would include workers who have been on strike for over eight weeks. This is blatant retaliation against workers who organized for dignity, fair pay, and a voice on the job.
Staff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City are officially unionized. The newly unionized group, represent members across 50 departments of the Manhattan Institution and will become a part of UAW Region 9A, Local 2110. Please see Isa Farfan’s Hyperallergic Article dated January 16, 2026 to read more.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art staff voted to unionize with a 76% majority in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to become members of UAW Region 9A, Local 2110. The ballot count was 542 Yes and 172 No.
Staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY, have voted by a 76% margin in a National Labor Relations Board election to unionize with UAW Local 2110. The ballot tally was 542 yes votes for the union with 172 votes against. The ballots of an additional 100 people remain sealed because they were challenged by the Museum which objected to inclusion of these staff in the union. The eligibility of staff in these positions will be determined through a mutually agreed upon arbitration process after the union is officially certified by the National Labor Relations Board.
Workers at the Museum had been organizing for over four years before the election, over concerns about job security, pay equity and greater transparency about employment policies.
“I’ve worked at The Met for 31 years and I truly love it but our expertise and our labor have real value deserving of recognition,” said Stephanie Post, a Digital Archivist, “By unionizing, we aren’t just protecting our own jobs—we are building a collective voice to ensure every staff member, now and in the future, gets the respect and protection they deserve.”
”We won because we were able to convince our colleagues that they don’t have to accept whatever is offered to them, that their experience and hard work has earned them a seat at the table,” said Rebecca Capua, a conservator who has worked at the Museum for sixteen years.
The unit is composed of staff across fifty different departments of the Museum and includes curators, conservators, librarians, sales specialists, visitor experience coordinators, development officers, archivists, digital and IT staff, and more.
Jonathan Farbowitz, a conservator said: “I’m so inspired by the way Met staff across departments have come together to make this historic victory happen.”
Tiffany Camusci, Data Analyst added: “There is no stronger feeling of solidarity than working together with my colleagues to establish our union.”
Thousands of museum workers have organized since the pandemic. Local 2110 UAW already represents workers at multiple art museums and other cultural institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the MFA, Boston, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Portland Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, the New York Historical Society, the Shed, the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Tenement Museum, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Film at Lincoln Center, Film Forum and Anthology Film Archives.
“Organizing with my Met colleagues was an incredible, galvanizing experience that I will never forget,” said Alison Clark, a Collections Manager in Asian Art who has worked at the Museum for over 20 years. “Unionizing with UAW Local 2110 is only our first step and we look forward to negotiating a fair and equitable contract that reflects staff needs and priorities.”
The UAW has officially endorsed Claire Valdez for Congress in New York’s 7th Congressional District after receiving overwhelming support from the UAW Region 9A CAP Council.
“Corporations and billionaires are doing everything they can to crush the working class. The only way we can take on the crises in front of us is if we have more workers representing us in the halls of power,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “That is why I am proud to stand with UAW member Claire Valdez in her run for Congress. Claire will fight like hell for dignity, fairness, and justice for all workers. This is exactly how the labor movement can fight back against corporate greed and inequality: by electing more of our own. UAW is excited to send Claire to Congress to deliver for the working class.”
“As a UAW member and leader, Claire’s been at the bargaining table with Columbia University, one of the biggest employers in the city, one of the richest employers in the world. And it’s workers like that, workers like Claire, who have the vision and the leadership to stand up to big corporations, to big employers and fight for workers. It’s someone like that who we need in Washington,” said UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla.
UAW Region 9A represents 20,000 active and retired members in New York City. The union will mobilize thousands of members across NY-07 to help deliver a victory for New York’s working class.
New York, NY— This morning, Local 2110 of the UAW petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a union election for nearly a thousand full-time and part-time professional and non-professional staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Workers cite long term pay inequities, lack of job protection and ever-increasing workloads as reasons for the unionization efforts.
Initial conversations about unionizing started in 2020, with staff sharing concerns generated by the pandemic. In 2022, the group reached out to UAW Local 2110, known nationally for organizing staff at major cultural institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MoMA, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Guggenheim Museum, MASS MoCA, the Whitney Museum of American Art and others.
“The union effort was started during the pandemic by a group of long-time staff who know the Met extremely well and have been through multiple crises where we have lost staff and benefits.,” says Rebecca Capua, a Conservator who has been employed at the Met for 16 years. “We want our jobs at the Met to be viable long term careers — for ourselves and for those who come after us.”
“The Met is an amazing place. I’ve worked here almost 20 years, and love it,” says Alison Clark, Collections Manager. “However, the Museum often makes decisions without considering or consulting staff, such as changes to our Work from Home policy and erosion of our health and other benefits. Right now, we’re contending with several large scale capital projects that displace people and create a lot of additional work for the staff. Unionizing is the only way for us to have a strong collective voice to address concerns with the Museum.”
“Being involved in the organizing for our union has really broken down barriers between us as coworkers who work in many different departments at The Met,” says Tiffany Camusci, a Data Analyst who has worked at the Met since 2023. “As a newer employee, I got involved because a union will empower us to address our pay and our opportunities for career advancement at the Met. It’s rewarding to know that so many of my colleagues share similar concerns and want to address our workplace needs collectively. ”
The last few years have seen thousands of museum workers unionize. Employees at the MFA, Boston, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, the New Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, MASS MoCA, the Jewish Museum, The Dia Foundation, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, the Portland Museum of Art are just some of the institutions where workers have organized with UAW Local 2110 . Many have echoed similar issues of low pay, lack of job security, and little or no transparency about institutional plans. The economic fallout caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic, which further exposed the insecurities of non-unionized workplaces, further galvanized workers to organize.
The United Auto Workers have endorsed Graham Platner for the United States Senate in Maine.
As a U.S. military veteran, oyster farmer, and proud lifelong Mainer, Graham Platner is a true fighter for the working class. His campaign is grounded in rebuilding the American dream for working people who can no longer afford a good life. His service and his background give him the leadership needed to fight for policies that put the needs of workers first and demand bold solutions to our economic and political crises.
The UAW represents nearly 2,000 workers in Maine, including marine draftsmen at Bath Iron Works, nonprofit employees, workers at the Portland Museum of Art, and graduate employees across the University of Maine System. Together, these members are part of a growing movement of working-class people demanding an economy that works for everyone — not just the wealthy few — and standing behind candidates who fight for dignity, fairness, and justice for all workers.
“Inequality is out of control in our country. Today, the top 1% have more wealth than the bottom 95% of humanity combined. Graham understands this, and at a time when too many politicians take their cues from billionaires and corporate lobbyists, he has chosen to stand with the working class,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “He’s focused on the real problems facing workers across this country — not the distractions the billionaire class uses to divide us. His campaign is rooted in the same core issues our union fights for every day: a living wage, affordable health care, retirement security, and time outside of work to actually live our lives. The UAW is proud to endorse candidates like Platner taking on the broken status quo.”
UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla added, “Graham Platner has emerged as a voice for the people of Maine fed up with the corrupting influence of the oligarchy and money in our politics. More importantly, he is building a mass movement that will not only power his campaign but will be ready to take on the challenges facing working families in Maine and across the country once in office. Our members are ready to hit the ground running with Graham’s campaign and take back the power for Maine’s working class.”
“I think he’s the real deal,” said Trent Vellela, president of the UAW’s Maine CAP Council from Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association (BMDA-UAW Local 3999 ). “Graham directly addresses the hard issues in a straightforward and relatable way. He is clear about his principles and his plan to achieve positive outcomes for the working people of Maine. We’re excited to endorse Graham Platner for Senate and look forward to seeing him in DC.”
Full letter to CAMBA leadership led by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
Full letter to Goddard leadership led by Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal.
NEW YORK— Approximately 1,850 of the 2,000 legal services workers represented by the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys—UAW Local 2325 (ALAA)—reached tentative agreements last week following powerful strike actions and sustained public pressure. Remaining on strike are ALAA members at CAMBA Legal Services, Goddard Riverside Law Project, and Urban Justice Center while legal workers at organizations including the Legal Aid Society, New York Legal Assistance Group, Bronx Defenders, Office of the Appellate Defender, and the Center for Appellate Litigation are working as they vote on tentative agreements.
This week, New York politicians representing neighborhoods where the remaining striking organizations serve vulnerable community members signed two letters of support, one addressed to CAMBA and the other to Goddard Riverside, respectively.
The letter to CAMBA addresses the organization’s President and CEO Valerie Barton-Richardson and Chief Legal Officer and Executive Director Elizabeth Miller, with the executive senior staff, senior vice presidents, and board all copied. It was led by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and includes 26 elected officials such as NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, State Senators Zellnor Myrie and Jabari Brisport, City Counselors Carmen De La Rosa, Rita Joseph, and Crystal Hudson, and more.
The Goddard letter, addressed to Roderick L. Jones, President of Goddard Riverside, is signed by the elected representatives who refer cases to Goddard and, in some cases, have worked with Goddard for decades. The letter was led by Democratic Nominee for Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, currently a State Senator, and includes every single Manhattan west side elected representative.
Every day, ALAA members provide free legal representation to tenants facing eviction, immigrants at risk of deportation, families navigating child welfare and custody cases, survivors of domestic violence, the unhoused, and people seeking access to health care, disability benefits, and other critical services.
Underfunded for decades, these legal services workers are demanding fair wages, adequate resources, and staffing to reduce burnout and high turnover—issues that directly impact the quality of representation their clients receive. Common demands across the sector focus on lifting wages and guaranteeing workload protections that ensure working class New Yorkers get the best, most experienced advocates and that these union members can afford to stay in jobs they love.
As the cost of living rises and the city’s legal services funding lags, they are taking action to ensure all New Yorkers—especially working-class communities targeted by the Trump Administration’s harmful policies—have real access to justice.
Member Mobilization Institute Postponed
2026 UAW-Union Built Vehicle Guide
Ground Effects Workers Vote to Join the UAW