Denver Art Museum Workers Unionize for Better Wages and Working Conditions

Denver Art Museum workers successfully voted to unionize yesterday. They are the first unionized art museum in Colorado.

The vote to unionize with AFSCME Council 18—a national movement of cultural workers at libraries, museums, and zoos across America that negotiates better wages and working conditions, as well as equity and transparency in the workplace—passed with a 67% supermajority.

After announcing their plan to unionize in January, workers encountered an anti-union campaign carried out by upper management that resulted in more than a dozen Unfair Labor Practice charges filed by AFSCME on the workers’ behalves. Now, more than 200 DAM workers across each department will be represented in the union.

“One of the best things about this process has been hearing from people in various departments, and learning about their expertise, skills, and concerns. I look forward to working together to build a workplace that creates an environment of mutual respect, and every member feeling as valued as they deserve,” said Trudy Lovato, a gallery host at the DAM, in a statement.

“Our wall-to-wall union recognizes the importance of all of us in making the museum a place where art connects, inspires, and empowers,” Kit Bernal, a curatorial assistant and DAMWU member, said in a statement. “I am so honored to get to work with all of my incredible colleagues across the bargaining unit and the museum to build a better present and future for the DAM.”

Now that the union is in place, workers plan to shift focus to contracts. They’re looking to address such issues as adequate staffing, career advancement, a fair disciplinary process, and appropriate wages that take into account experience, tenure, and continuing inflation.