Dear Friends of the New York Transit Museum Senior Administration and Board of Trustees,

As members of the community, we stand in solidarity with the employees who are organizing their union, Transit Museum Collective, through AFSCME Cultural Workers United District Council 37.

The Transit Museum Collective was formed because we understand the value of a union in protecting its workers and creating a more egalitarian workplace. We are a collective of both part-time and full-time employees who believe in creating cross-departmental connections and fostering community in this institution. We strive to bridge the divide between departments and staff members that fosters an environment of isolation. We want a democratic workplace so that no one feels undervalued, underpaid, and disrespected.

At the New York Transit Museum, we pride ourselves on telling the stories of the people who built and maintain our city's vast public transportation network. From sandhogs to train operators to station agents, these are the people whose hard work we have to thank for creating and supporting a system that moves millions of people a day. This system was built by workers that organized into labor unions, which protected these men and women as they toiled under the streets and rivers of our city. Today, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) continues to not only protect the workers of the MTA but also the Retail workers at the Transit Museum. We believe that we, as museum workers who teach their history and make it accessible to the public, deserve no different.

Having a union would allow all eligible workers regardless of their full or part-time status, to be able to negotiate policies that create a sustainable and enriching workplace. We are unionizing to have a voice on the job, to empower each other, and to create equality and pay equity at the New York Transit Museum.

Sign our community letter to support Transit Museum Collective and encourage museum administration to recognize our union.