Since winning our election in January of 2023, the Science Museum of Minnesota Workers Union has been trying to negotiate a first contract with museum leadership, but after more than a year we still have no agreements on core issues like fair pay that reflects our work experience, parental leave, layoff protections, or a grievance procedure. We have routinely had to wait months to get even basic responses to our proposals let alone meaningful counter proposals that would move us towards an agreement.

In the meantime, SMM management has repeatedly ignored the negotiations process by implementing the changes they prioritize and further delaying progress on a contract. In response to these repeated violations of the law, we have filed multiple Unfair Labor Practice charges against museum management. Last July, the National Labor Relations Board found that SMM did not properly negotiate and laid off 12 union workers illegally — something our management still refuses to acknowledge. Just this month, the Board also found merit to our charge that management made illegal increases to workers’ 2024 health insurance costs.

Enough is enough. Our union won its election over a year ago, and it has been an uphill battle to secure the fair contract we deserve. It’s time for management to respect their hard-working staff and take this process seriously. Join us in demanding that Science Museum leadership:

• Stop all unfair labor practices and promptly settle the ones they’ve already committed

• Bargain a fair contract now for all union workers