Denver Art Museum union rallies for better wages — and stools
DENVER — “When I say union, you say power,” said the dozens of attendees at the Denver Art Museum Workers Union rally Tuesday.
The Denver Art Museum Workers’ Union, or DAMWU, has been in contract negotiations with Denver Art Museum for the past 18 months. The union is advocating for things including higher wages and more robust immigration protections, as well as remote work and overtime policies. Kit Bernal, senior curatorial assistant at the museum, was among those who spoke at the rally, arguing that the union’s requests are not unreasonable.
“The big issues we are fighting for are still meeting resistance, so we felt like it was time to get our community involved,” Bernal said. “We want people to know what it’s really like to work at the Denver Art Museum right now.”
Bernal said the protracted negotiations are because this is the first contract the union is attempting to secure after becoming the first art museum in Colorado to unionize in 2024. DAMWU is referred to as a “wall-to-wall union,” meaning it includes everyone from gift shop cashiers to those behind the scenes at the museum. Because of that, Bernal says the union isn’t willing to accept a bad deal just to move things forward.
“This will be the groundwork for everything going forward,” Bernal said. “Our union is primarily about workers having a seat at the table in the decisions that affect us.”
One of the biggest issues is stools.
Hosts, or, the people you see standing next to the art all day, have asked the museum to provide stools for sitting when employees are not doing something that requires standing. Multiple speakers at the rally recounted the physical toll it takes to be on one’s feet for 40 hours a week, and accused DAM management of implying the workers were “lazy” for making this request.
“I think when people picture unions, they think of jobs that are really physically demanding,” Bernal said. “It can be hard to translate that union mentality to the art museum, even though there are physically demanding aspects of this job.”
In a statement issued shortly after the rally, the Denver Art Museum said they respect the right of the union to gather during the bargaining process.
“We value the contributions of our staff and support their right to unionize,” the museum said in a statement on its site. “The museum will continue to bargain in good faith and looks forward to returning to the table with the Union later this month.”
The museum declined to comment further regarding the union’s specific requests.
One of the speakers at Tuesday’s rally was attorney general candidate David Seligman, who told the crowd he loves bringing his children to DAM. However, he knows that nothing would be possible without the workers behind the scenes.
“Our cultural institutions here in Denver would be nothing without the power and voice and dignity of the people who run them,” Seligman said as the crowd erupted in cheers. “You will get your fair contract.”
DAMWU returns to the negotiation table on February 26. Bernal hopes that the continued efforts of the union, plus the increased awareness of the public, will be the tipping point for their contract.
“I’m proud to work at the museum, I’m proud of the work we’re doing,” Bernal said. “But I also need to be able to pay my rent."
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