Unionized workers at MASS MoCA plan strike for Wednesday

Unionized workers at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art are set to strike and picket daily outside of the museum, starting Wednesday morning. The reason? The museum and the union have been unable to come to an agreement on an increase in wages.

The museum, located in North Adams, and the union have been bargaining over wages since October. The union seeks to raise the hourly minimum wage to $18.25 and looks to secure a minimum 4.5% salary increase this year. On Feb. 20, the museum countered with an offer to raise the hourly minimum rate to $17.25 with a 3.5% overall salary increase.

In a statement, the museum defended its latest contract proposal, stating that it's "higher than any state-mandated minimum wage across the country, and consistent with our prioritization of wage and equity increases that have resulted in a 39.6% growth since 2018."

But Meg Labbee, union member and MASS MoCA employee, disagrees.

"We have done so much research to come up with a number that makes it sustainable and livable ... in Berkshire County," said Labbee. "We've presented that data, and we're not quite sure why we can't see the same numbers in the same way."

Union workers at MASS MoCA are affiliated with Local 2110 United Auto Workers. Museum staff voted to unionize in April of 2021 amid similar concerns of wages and job insecurity. In 2022, union employees staged a one-day strike after a lack of progress in contract negotiations. Afterward, employees and the museum reached an agreement on a first contract which allowed the union to negotiate further wage increases in Oct. 2023.

Local 2110 UAW organizer Chelsea Farrell said that since then, the process of bargaining has been "painfully slow, but definitely fairly tense."

"It's really a culmination of, I think, the really divisive anti-union tactics that we've seen from MASS MoCA," Farrell said.

After failing to come to an agreement surrounding wages, 97% percent of union workers voted in favor of the strike that would start Wednesday.

The museum stated that it is "extremely disappointed" in the decision to strike.

“MASS MoCA cannot agree to terms that will diminish our mission or operational sustainability, upend vital partnerships, reduce our programs, or fundamentally change our creative workplace culture," said museum director Kristy Edmunds. "Simply put, MASS MoCA has been and will continue to be moved to adopt proposals that are balanced, fair, sustainable and honest."

According to the union, 58% of the 120 represented employees earn $16.25 per hour and average pay for full-time employees is $43,600. The union also alleges, in a statement, that the number of higher-paid management positions has increased at the museum "at the expense of the unionized staff." Represented employees occupy a range of roles at the museum and include curators, administration staff and custodial workers.

The union said that the gap between what the union is proposing and what the museum is offering is around $150,000.

"Management has decided that this is what they want to offer and they don't want to move," said Farrell. "They don't want to actually bargain in good faith. They don't want to actually hear our argument."

Labbee, who has worked at MASS MoCA for 25 years and lived in North Adams for around 20 years, cited the increase in cost of living in the area as one of the reasons why the union is adamant about its wage increase demand.

"When I graduated from college and got my first job here, my apartment was $400 a month for a one-bedroom," Labbee said. "... And now you can't get a one-bedroom for under $1,000."

Rising rent in North Adams is also a concern for Joey Rainone, union member and master electrician at the museum.

"There's also a rapid gentrification happening in town where all of the housing is being bought up," said Rainone. "Places have been turning into Airbnbs, and homes that were once available to be used by the community are now used for profit."

According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage calculator, a living wage for a single adult with no children in Berkshire County is $21.83 an hour.

"Our union members really do struggle. Loving your work and loving an art museum, it isn't enough to pay the bills," Farrell said. "I think MASS MoCA is an institution that a lot of folks in the field really look to as a leader. ... We want MASS MoCA to be a leader in employment practices."

In its statement, the museum said it is "readying our teams to remain open and continue to serve our mission for the public."

Farrell and Labbee said union members are ready to stand their ground.

"They want their voices heard," Labbee said. "It's a very active union. And because of that, people feel really empowered."