New York’s political leadership backs Met Museum workers ahead of union vote
The open letter, signed by Zohran Mamdani, calls the union vote a test of New York’s commitment to collective bargaining in its cultural institutions.
Government and Cultural Heritage
Dozens of New York City and state elected officials have publicly aligned themselves with workers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art ahead of a January union election, signaling that the outcome will be closely watched by the city’s incoming political leadership.
In an open letter dated December 18, the 35 elected officials congratulated nearly 900 Metropolitan Museum employees on the mid-January vote to unionize with the Technical, Office and Professional Union Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers.
“We proudly support collective bargaining rights for these and other museum workers in New York,” the letter reads.
“We wish the workers luck in their election, and we look forward to working with both museum leadership and UAW Local 2110 in the future toward a fair agreement.”
The letter frames the election as a matter of public values, not internal management, invoking New York’s long-standing identity as a “union town.”
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Officials who signed the letter include Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani; Comptroller-elect Mark Levine and current Comptroller Brad Lander; returning Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; and Manhattan Borough President-elect Brad Hoylman-Sigal. Eleven city council members, six state senators and 13 assembly members also signed on to the letter.
Signatories representing the museum’s immediate neighborhood include Council Member Julie Menin and State Assemblyman Alex Bores, whose districts encompass the Upper East Side, placing the union vote within their constituent jurisdictions.
The officials pledged support for collective bargaining rights for museum employees across the city. While the officials do not oversee the Met’s governance or labor negotiations and cannot require the museum to recognize a union or agree to contract terms, their public support helps shape how labor disputes at cultural institutions are viewed by the government.
“The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a gem of our state, and one of the greatest art museums of the world, relies upon its dedicated staff,” the letter said. The politicians praised workers who “preserve and present its collection, welcome thousands of visitors daily, and disseminate knowledge about art beyond the walls of the museum.”
The Met is one of the world’s largest and wealthiest cultural institutions, drawing millions of visitors annually and operating with a mix of private funding, public support and tax-exempt status.
Labor advocates have increasingly argued that such institutions should be held to the same standards around worker protections and collective bargaining as other publicly facing employers.
The union election comes amid a broader wave of organizing across museums and cultural institutions in New York and nationally, as workers push for higher pay, improved benefits and greater job security in a sector long marked by wage disparities.
The museum’s workers are expected to vote in mid-January, with the results likely to shape labor relations at the institution and serve as a bellwether for organizing efforts across the city’s cultural sector.
“Over many decades, we have worked to develop a culture of inclusivity, collaboration and creativity, and take every opportunity to uplift our employees,” Met spokeswoman Ann Bailis told The New York Times in November. The museum has seemingly not publicly commented on the open letter.
“We respect the right to seek union representation and are proud of our longstanding relationships with DC37 and Local 306 IATSE, which represent a large segment of our staff.”
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