Denver Art Museum workers ratify first union contract at a Colorado museum, union says
The contract was ratified by a vote of union members earlier this month, after about two years of negotiations.
Labor and Capital
Workers at the Denver Art Museum have ratified their first union contract, an agreement the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said is the first reached at a Colorado museum.
The union announced the ratification in a June 11 post to Instagram, saying members of Denver Art Museum Workers United reached the deal after about two years of negotiations and what it called significant pushback from management.
The union said the contract would improve pay, benefits and worker rights.
News of the agreement reached Seattle, where museum workers were days from their own union election. Seattle Art Museum Workers United highlighted the Denver ratification on its website on June 10.
Urgent Matter previously reported that Seattle Art Museum workers voted to unionize on June 17, with 97 ballots in favor and six against.
Denver Art Museum workers organized more than two years earlier. They chose AFSCME State Council 18 by a vote of 120 to 59, with 10 ballots challenged, out of 211 eligible voters, National Labor Relations Board records show.
The agency certified the union on March 15, 2024, records show.
"We're in a much better position as workers at the DAM than we were before and feel confident that we can achieve even more with our second contract. We are the ones who keep the museum running, and we must never forget that," Sean Chase, a gallery host, said in the union's post.
The ratification followed a contentious campaign. AFSCME filed an unfair labor practice charge against the museum on February 29, 2024, accusing it of violating federal labor law as workers organized, documents show.
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The charge alleged that the museum altered its employee handbook to chill protected activity, told some employees they could not participate in the union effort, cut operating hours and declined to renew temporary workers' contracts, among other claims.
The vote adds the Denver Art Museum to a wave of organizing across U.S. museums and cultural institutions in recent years, as workers have pushed for higher pay, stronger benefits and a greater voice in workplace decisions.
Follow along with other union matters at Urgent Matter's labor tracker.
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