Los Angeles County Museum of Art, June 26, 2025. Photo: Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images.
Staffers at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on October 29 announced their intention to unionize under the auspices of AFSCME Cultural Workers United District Council 36, a branch of the union representing museum workers across the country, including those at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Frost Art Museum in Miami. The museum union, LACMA United, brings together more than three hundred workers from all of the institution’s departments. Among the group’s goals, per a letter to staffers and the institution’s board and management, are “fairer compensation, expanded benefits, and increased transparency in institutional protocols and resources.”
The unionization drive comes just six months before the opening of LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries. Built at a cost of $720 million, the Brutalist concrete structure was designed by Peter Zumthor. The museum is planning a reimagined installation of its collection there.
“As we near completion of the new home for our permanent collection, ensuring the stability of our staff is equally crucial to LACMA’s future. Many employees are struggling with wages that have not kept up with the rising cost of living in the sixth-most expensive city in the world,” wrote the employees in the letter. “At the same time, employees in virtually every department continue to absorb expanded responsibilities and workloads, often without additional compensation, due to high turnover, limited resources, and positions that have been vacated or frozen.”
LACMA United has asked the museum’s executive team and trustees to voluntarily recognize the union by November 5.
“Museum leadership has received the letter from LACMA United,” said LACMA CEO Michael Govan in a statement. “We are reviewing it carefully and very much look forward to continuing to support our amazing staff.”
