Cultural workers have long been told that the prestige of working in museums and galleries makes up for their low wages and lack of benefits. But in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many are rejecting that message. Over the last two and a half years, the unionization process in the art world has exposed the toxic work environments in many institutions, and revealed shockingly low salaries across the job sector as the cost of living continues to rise. Now, there is a major unionization movement in the cultural heritage sector, with over thirty museums across the US currently at various stages of organizing.

On August 8, after two years of negotiations, staff at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City became the latest to ratify their first contract with an overwhelming 97 percent majority. The Guggenheim Union consists of 150 staff members across departments, including visitor service, education, curatorial, administrative, and other departments. The union first began to organize in the fall of 2021 under the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2110. Some highlights from the first contract include a minimum 9 percent wage increase over the next two and a half years, an increase in retirement contributions, four weeks paid family leave, and funding for career training retroactive to July 1. One major victory is that this contract guarantees minimum rates for full- and part-time employees.

The UAW now represents workers at various museums in New York City and across the Northeast, including the Whitney, the New Museum, Mass MoCA, and others, testifying to the scale of the museum unionization movement. And the trend is not restricted to museum workers. In 2021, art handlers and faculties also joined the labor movement when they reached their own three-year agreement with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 30.