Met Workers Vote to Join Local 2110 UAW, Creating One of the Nation's Largest Museum Unions

[Omaha Steve]

A view of the Metropolitan Museum of Art building in New York City, United States on July 15, 2024.
NurPhoto via Getty Images

By Tessa Solomon January 16, 2026 1:01pm

Nearly 1,000 salaried and hourly workers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art voted on Friday to join Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers (UAW), creating one of the nation’s largest museum unions.

The new union, approved by a vote of 542-172, comprises staff from across 50 departments at the Met, including curators, conservators, librarians, visitor experience coordinators, and archivists. According to a statement from Local 2110, roughly 100 ballots remain sealed due to a management challenge, which objected to their inclusion in the union. Whether they will ultimately join the union will be decided through “a mutually agreed upon arbitration process” after the union is officially certified by the National Labor Relations Board, the statement added. (Two separate, smaller unions already represented security guards and projectionists at the museum.)

A union drive had reportedly been brewing at the Met for more than four years before the election. Major concerns have included job security, pay equity, and greater transparency in institutional operations.

“I’ve worked at The Met for 31 years, and I truly love it, but our expertise and our labor have real value deserving of recognition,” said Stephanie Post, a digital archivist, in a statement. “By unionizing, we aren’t just protecting our own jobs—we are building a collective voice to ensure every staff member, now and in the future, gets the respect and protection they deserve.”

FULL story: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/metropolitan-museum-art-workers-largest-museum-unions-1234770080/