Staffers at the Strong National Museum of Play are looking to unionize.
They filed with the National Labor Relations Board this week and delivered a request for voluntary recognition to museum management.
If they're successful, 173 full- and part-time employees would join the Civil Service Employees Association. The push doesn't include guards, supervisors or managers.
In a statement, they said they are seeking better wages, benefits for part-time staffers, and stronger enforcement of sexual harassment policies.
"For part-time employees, our only benefits are eight free museum tickets per year, a tiny matching retirement contribution, and employee discounts at other businesses through a LifeMart membership,” Sandi Nenga, a live collections assistant, said in the statement. “How does 20% off at Manscaped help me pay the bills?”
Museums across the country have seen a steady rise in unions in recent years, including the recent organizing of children’s museums in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Here in New York, CSEA members include museum, zoo and library workers.
Strong released a statement that read, in part: "The Strong’s staff is an important part of what makes the museum a community cornerstone, and the museum respects the rights of all of its employees to make a decision with respect to these important matters. The Strong is currently reviewing the situation and evaluating next steps.”
Correction: An estimated 84,000 workers at cultural institutions have organized nationwide across all unions, not just CSEA.
