Noguchi Museum Workers Vote Unanimously to Unionize

Workers at the Noguchi Museum in New York City have officially unionized following a unanimous National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election, according to an announcement on the union’s Instagram on Monday, January 13.

“The Noguchi Museum staff is excited to announce the formation of its union! Our members seek to negotiate for a more equitable, inclusive, and transparent workplace,” the social media post said.

According to a union spokesperson who spoke to Hyperallergic in December, the new unit will represent approximately 55 of the museum’s 72 employees. The workers organized with United Auto Workers Local 2110, which covers employees at institutions including the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

In another post on January 8, the first of two election days, the union said it would fight to secure a “fair grievance procedure with the right to appeal to an outside, neutral arbitrator.” Other stated priority issues include fair wages and pay raises, “redress” for health and safety issues, and protection against discrimination.

“The Noguchi Museum acknowledges and respects our staff’s decision to unionize,” a museum spokesperson said in a statement to Hyperallergic. “We look forward to working constructively and openly with Local 2110.”

Both part-time and full-time staff are eligible to join the union regardless of their roles, forming what is sometimes referred to as a “wall-to-wall” union. 

Workers first announced they had filed for a union election with the NLRB on December 2, a few months after the institution implemented a controversial ban on keffiyehs for staff last summer.

More than 50 Noguchi Museum workers signed a letter in August calling for the reversal of the new policy, which prohibits employees from wearing the Arab headscarves symbolizing Palestinian liberation. Weeks later, three staff members were terminated for noncompliance with the dress code, a move that sparked protests, including Pulitzer-prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri’s September refusal of the institution’s award for creative work that “carries significant social consciousness and function.”

The Noguchi Museum union has not yet responded to Hyperallergic’s request for comment. 

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