Workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art are striking after two years without a contract.
Two years ago, after abuse and harassment from managers came to light and a document outlining pay disparity across departments was shared around, workers at the PMA voted to form the first wall-to-wall union at a museum in the United States. Upper management claims to have been bargaining in good faith, but instead they continuously stall negotiations or simply fail to show up at all.
Workers at the PMA make far below the national average, with the lowest paid workers only making $15 an hour. Meanwhile the new CEO makes 700k a year and upper management makes well over the national average. The museum hired the same union busting law firm that Amazon and Starbucks uses and recently spent $230 million on renovations to the building.
But the workers are not just striking for fair wages. They do not have affordable healthcare, to the point many employees are putting off getting medical treatment simply because they can’t afford it. There is no paid parental leave, no real job security, and very few opportunities for upward movement within the museum. Management has offered insultingly small raises (3% with no account for cost of living and inflation) after years of staff getting no raises at all.
Today, October 7th 2022, was the 12th day of their strike. A new CEO started the first day of the strike and has not made an effort to speak with union reps at all. Today scabs were spotted hanging the upcoming retrospective exhibition of Mattisse’s work as all the art handlers are outside on strike.
You can help! Share stories and posts on social media (@pmaunion on twitter and instagram) and show your support for the strike. If you are in the Philadelphia area and have some time, go join the picket lines! They are out there every day, rain or shine, and love having people join in. If you are a member of the museum, cancel and/or do not renew your membership and make sure the museum knows why you are doing this. If you have the means to do so, donate to their strike fund (I will add a link in a reblog), any amount helps! Most importantly, DO NOT CROSS THE PICKET LINE. There are so many great museums in Philly you can visit instead, or donate the price of your ticket ($25 for adults, $23 for seniors, and $14 for students) or the cost of your membership to the strike fund.
I worked at the museum for a year and the staff is some of the greatest people I have ever met. They are incredibly hard working and so passionate about what they do, that’s why they are striking- so they can keep doing the work they love in conditions that are fair, equitable, and livable. Please do anything you can to help, even if it’s just telling your friends and family about this.
Adding some links!




