Speculation about the unionization efforts by AKG Art Museum employees has run rampant over the last few months, including since deleted social media posts from a museum donor decrying the effort. On Wednesday the speculation came to an end as employees representing Visitor Experience Associates and Food and Beverage Baristas formally announced their decision to begin unionization efforts.
“We are organizing this union because we want to have a voice in the job, to build a democratic workplace and improve the material working conditions for everyone at AKG,” AKG Bartender Vincent Klie said. “We love this institution, we believe it's a pillar of the community and we would like to build this up. It's not just a pillar for the guests but for the workers as well.”
Visitor Experience Associate Sophie Goodwin said as a public institution the museum should be supportive of unionization efforts. Instead employees have been met with increased scrutiny.
“They've ramped up their covert anti-union campaign through active surveillance of employees, stricter enforcement of existing rules, and they've attempted to emotionally manipulate staff as well,” she said. “The clearest sign of their union busting has been their hiring of Jackson Lewis, because of their union busting. We are filing charges with the [National Labor Relations Board].”
Barista Natalie Hayes said they were hopeful the museum would voluntarily recognize their union and agree to terms on a non-N.L.R.B. election. But that is no longer a feasible option.
“The museum has not been cooperative, they're stalling the election. And this has led us to determine that our best option right now is to file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board with the front facing departments, excluding preservation and safety, so visitor experience, food and beverage and facilities. And again, just to reiterate, the purpose of doing an out of Board election was so that our preservation and safety workers could be in the same unit as us. And that proved impossible in cooperation with the museum.”
Hayes said her unit filed for the election Tuesday which means the election with take place in 21 to 28 days.
Buffalo AKG Art Museum Director Janne Siren said museum has been "unequivocal in voicing that employees have the right to organize and that the decision whether or not to form a union rests with our team."
Siren also said leadership was in the process of drafting an election agreement for input and review by the Organizing Committee by January 10th but learned Tuesday of the committee's decision to seek an N.L.R.B. petition.
