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Staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Vote to Unionize

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.”

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UAW Announces Results of Special Election in Region 9

The UAW has announced the results of an election held today in UAW Region 9 to fill the vacancy created when former Regional Director Dan Vicente resigned his post.

Delegates at a special regional convention elected Jimmy Lakeman to serve as the next Regional Director of UAW Region 9, which covers thousands of active and retired UAW members across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

UAW President Shawn Fain said, “We welcome Jimmy Lakeman to the International Executive Board and look forward to his strong leadership and resolve in Region 9 as we continue our mission fighting for economic and social justice, taking on an out-of-control billionaire class.”

Lakeman said, “I am honored to serve the members of UAW Region 9 and to continue fighting for our union. Together, we will focus on representation, enforcing our contracts, and strengthening our community action program.”

While the union has moved to a system of regular direct elections for its International Executive Board, mid-term vacancies at the regional level are filled by a vote of delegates, as outlined in the UAW Constitution.

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Statement on Ford Plant Visit from VP Laura Dickerson, Ford Department Director

The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union —the UAW. He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.
 
The UAW will ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member.
 
Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behavior by anyone—including the President of the United States.
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UAW Endorses Union Member Claire Valdez for Congress in NY-7

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.

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UAW Statement on Conn-Selmer Announcement to Close U.S. Facility

Today, Conn-Selmer, the last USA-made brass instrument manufacturer, informed workers that it is shutting down its Eastlake, Ohio facility to officially ship Ohio operations overseas to China. It means decades of an Ohio mainstay and hundreds of good, union jobs are on the chopping block so that billionaires can reap even more profits.

Conn-Selmer is owned by hedge fund billionaire and Trump ally John Paulson who clearly cares more about raking in more cash instead of preserving an American institution. It’s an interesting choice to make at a time when politicians across the country, including the President, are calling on corporations to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

Across Ohio, in blue-collar town after blue-collar town, you can still see the scars left from the devastating effects of free trade. Conn-Selmer is the latest to choose profits for a handful of executives over people.

You better believe the UAW members who built these instruments for years and established the world-renowned brand reputation are already gearing up for a big fight to keep these jobs in Ohio. This is not just about the future of this company – it’s about the future of our community.

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UAW Statement on the Michigan Senate’s Unanimous, Bipartisan Passage of SB 700

The UAW applauds yesterday’s unanimous, bipartisan vote in the Michigan Senate to pass SB 700 and fix a real problem that affects hundreds of thousands of Michigan workers, including thousands of UAW members.

Today, Lansing legislators showed something important: when elected leaders focus on solving the real problems workers face, common-sense solutions can rise above partisan fights. Protecting the working-class doesn’t have to be Democratic or Republican. It’s simply the right thing to do.

We thank the bill’s sponsors and every senator who chose to stand with Michigan’s workers. Now we look to members of the Michigan House to carry that bipartisan spirit forward so Governor Whitmer can sign this into law.

Without swift action, laid-off Michigan workers are facing a holiday season without access to critical benefits because of an issue from the pandemic a half-decade ago. The UAW looks forward to a quick resolution to this injustice.

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UAW Agricultural Implement Workers Demand Action from DC on Plant Closures in New Video

In a new video, a delegation of UAW agricultural implement workers from John Deere and Case New Holland speak out in Washington, DC against plant closures, layoffs, and the attack on workers throughout this sector.

The new video is available here.

In the latest attack on southeast Iowa’s working class, multibillion-dollar transnational corporation Case New Holland (CNH) is threatening to devastate the blue-collar community of Burlington, Iowa, by closing a nearly century-old plant. CNH has made $6.6 billion in profits in the last three years alone and has spent over $3.1 billion of that on shareholder distributions and CEO pay.

In response, UAW members and leaders are both organizing at the grassroots and taking their fight to the halls of Congress, demanding action from elected representatives of both parties, across the Midwest, and across the country.

“I understand that you have to be a profitable company, but does profitable mean you have to take food off of my table too?” said Marcques Derby, plant chairman at UAW Local 807, CNH in Burlington, Iowa. “Reach across the aisle to condemn these actions and activities from CNH. It’s a multinational and multibillion dollar company. Make your stance be known. It’s just a commitment that I’m asking for. Actually, I’m not even asking, I’m demanding it.”

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UAW Endorses Amy Acton for Ohio Governor

The United Auto Workers today announced the union’s endorsement of Dr. Amy Acton for Governor of Ohio, citing her commitment to standing up to corporate greed and fighting for the working class.

“UAW CAP councils across Ohio are proud to endorse Dr. Amy Acton for Governor. Ohioans don’t need another corrupt politician backed by billionaires—we’ve seen too many leaders who are afraid to pick a side. Dr. Acton will shake up the status quo, put working-class people first, and stand with the UAW in our fight for a better life. Her campaign is rooted in issues that matter to our members: making life more affordable for working people and ensuring every Ohioan has access to quality healthcare. We’re ready to get to work to elect a pro-union governor. Now is our time, and Ohioans deserve better,” said UAW Region 2B Director Dave Green.

The UAW represents tens of thousands of active and retired members across Ohio in the auto, aerospace, and manufacturing sectors. The union noted Dr. Acton’s union roots and her dedication to fighting for blue-collar communities too often left behind.

“I’m deeply honored to receive the endorsement of the United Auto Workers. This storied union has been one of the key institutions that built America’s and Ohio’s middle class. I’ve stood on the picket line with members of UAW and will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them to fight for good Ohio jobs—including fair wages, safe workplaces, and strong benefits,” stated Dr. Acton.

The UAW will mobilize thousands of members across the state ahead of the election to help deliver a victory for Ohio’s working class.

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Staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Petition NLRB for a Union Vote

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.

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UAW Members from Agricultural Implements Sector Take Layoff and Plant Closure Fights to Congress

WASHINGTON—This week, UAW members from the Agricultural Implements sector took to Capitol Hill to raise the alarm on the devastating impact of bad trade deals, and fight layoffs and plant closures across the agricultural implements and construction equipment sector.

Since 2023, John Deere has laid off hundreds of workers and offshored multiple products from Iowa to Mexico. Caterpillar (CAT) operates three major manufacturing facilities in Mexico, with rampant labor abuses, driving a race to the bottom. And this month, CNH announced plans to close its Burlington, Iowa plant after nearly a century of operations.

“The American taxpayer and the American worker have invested millions of dollars and decades of blood, sweat, and tears to make these companies what they are today,” said UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson, Director of the Agricultural Implements Department of the UAW. “To take that investment and kill American jobs to pay off Wall Street is a slap in the face to American workers, consumers, and taxpayers. DC needs to step up and stop corporate greed.”

“Executives at these companies think that the devastation of plant closures, lost jobs, broken homes, and the destruction of blue-collar communities are not their problem,” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell, “But the UAW is going to make these decisions a major problem for these corporations and their Wall Street buddies. We’re in Washington, D.C. this week to make their corporate greed a problem for politicians across the Midwest—regardless of if they are a Democrat or Republican.”

UAW members in D.C. met with the offices of Representatives Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1), and Ashley Hinson (R-IA-2). They also met with the offices of Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Roger Marshall (R-KS). In addition to the members of Congress, workers also met with staff from the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

In their meetings, UAW members laid out three core demands for how to better navigate the offshoring of midwestern jobs by corporate greed:

  1. Make it here to sell it here. UAW members are calling for the Commerce Department to launch a new Section 232 investigation into imports of heavy equipment and machinery.
  2. End the race to the bottom. UAW members are demanding the United States Trade Representative to prioritize protections for heavy equipment manufacturing in the July 2026 review of the USMCA, including strong Rules of Origin, tariff rate quotas, and a sectoral minimum wage.
  3. Job security. UAW members are demanding members of Congress pick a side and make sure Deere, CAT, and CNH return production from abroad and stop the layoffs, offshoring, and plant closures.

“American manufacturers, built on American values, are making decisions every day to close and move plants without looking at the people and families that they are impacting,” said Marcques Derby, UAW Local 807 Chairperson at CNH in Burlington, Iowa. “Politicians have a real say. Most of them take campaign contributions from companies that are offshoring good jobs held by their constituents. It’s our elected officials that need to utilize their voice—we elected them for that, didn’t we?”

In addition to this week’s lobbying efforts, hundreds of UAW members from across the U.S. recently submitted stories about the devastation of so-called “free trade” and the urgent need for a worker-centered transformation of our trade deals. The UAW International also submitted an extensive comment calling for transformative changes to North American trade policy that put the international working class first, ahead of corporate interests, which can be viewed here. The UAW will be making trade and the fight against mass layoffs and plant closures a major focus of our 2026 electoral efforts heading into the midterm elections to win for UAW members and the whole working class.

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