Employees from across all four of the Carnegie Museums have come together to create a more equitable and transparent workplace. The United Museum Workers consists of professional scientists, curatorial/collection specialists, technicians, technologists, web developers, archivists, educators, publishers, marketers, visitor services frontline staff, gift shop clerks, event ushers, and grant writers. They are diverse in age, experience, gender and social background, but they are unified in their dedication to the Carnegie Museums and their visitors.

The United Museum Workers are fighting for the health and safety of our staff and our visitors and investments in the careers of all workers at the Carnegie Museums. Above all, they seek accountability regarding pay, benefits, and working conditions, and a collective voice to promote respect, equity, and inclusion across our beloved museums.

During this unprecedented time it is imperative that CMP marshal its considerable resources to support their workforce. In March, CMP management decided to close the museums, reduce pay, and furlough more than 600 workers. The museums reopened in late June with little to no consultation with the workers those decisions affected the most. CMP must prioritize the health of employees and visitors in response to the complex challenges of COVID-19. Recent events have made it all the more clear that a union is the best way to protect workers’ rights.

Already the United Museum Workers have helped hundreds of coworkers file for unemployment, provided personal protective equipment to staff when CMP neglected to do so, and vastly improved communication and solidarity across the entire workforce.

It is overtly in conflict with the museums' institutional image and mission of promoting humanistic values to disregard the voices and needs of the very people whose tireless dedication upholds that mission.

I STAND WITH THE UNITED MUSEUM WORKERS

As a concerned community member, I unequivocally support the right of the workers of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh to form a union, so they have a collective voice and the autonomy to determine their own working conditions. I call upon CMP to respect the United Museum Workers and remain neutral in their efforts to form a union.