Rochester’s George Eastman Museum employees have been trying to unionize over the last few weeks amid concerns over turnover and need for better working conditions. Now, they have a date set to vote on whether or not to go through with this project.
The Eastman Museum is one of the world’s oldest photography museums and features the estate of George Eastman, the founder of the Eastman Kodak Company.
The Museum, which employs roughly 100 staff, filed with the national labor union, Workers United, to unionize. Members have set Oct. 2 as their election date to vote on whether to go through with the union.
Vivian Rivers, the museum’s community and volunteer liaison, explained that high staff turnover, low pay, a need to work toward a harassment-free workplace, and lack of transparency from the institute’s leadership have all contributed to worker dissatisfaction.
“This really has been years in the process,” Vivian Rivers, an employee of the Museum said. “I want to make my career at the George Eastman Museum, and I see a union making that a sustainable option for myself.”
Rivers also explained that, by having a union, employees will be able to “have a voice at the table for policies that will concern the staff, the community internally, and the community externally.”
According to Rivers, the Museum has been resistant to unionization and has hired a third-party “union buster,” the Government Resources Consultants of America, to quash their efforts.
The façade of the Eastman Museum on East Avenue. (Teddy Almond / News Editor)
While some employees are eager to proceed with unionization, Bruce Barnes, the Director of the Museum, is reluctant to move forward.
According to a statement published on the George Eastman Museum’s Workers United Instagram page, employees called upon museum leadership to end ties with this organization and instead use the money they are paying them toward employee resources.
“We do not believe a union makes sense for the museum’s employees, but we support their right to form one if that is their choice,” Barnes said in an email to the Campus Times. “Of course, we will respect the vote [on Oct. 2] of our employees and will bargain in good faith with the union, if it is approved.”
Despite not believing a union makes sense, Barnes does not characterize Government Resources Consultants of America as a “union buster.” He said instead that the consultants are only intended to help employees form their decision.
“The museum and its representatives strictly follow the rules of the National Labor Relations Board,” he said. “Our goal is to enable all of our employees to make free and informed choices of whether to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the formation of the proposed bargaining unit.”
Though high turnover is an issue, Barnes said it is not one unique to the museum. Furthermore, employees at museums are generally paid less than they would be paid in the for‑profit sector, so concerns about low pay are not out of the ordinary either.
“That said, we have already been acutely focused on these issues and, over the past several years, the compensation of our employees who would be represented by the union has increased at a rate higher than the rate of inflation in the Consumer Price Index,” Barnes continued.
Barnes also explained the difficulty in navigating the complex situation, admitting that, “Certainly, we have not been perfect, and we could never promise to be. We hope that the employees will continue to trust us to operate without the interference of a third party, but whatever they decide, we know that they are the utmost professionals, who only have the museum’s best interests at heart.”
