Portland Museum of Art inks three-year contract with unionized workers

File photo / Courtesy PMA The Portland Museum of Art has reached an agreement on a new, three-year contract with a union that represents museum employees.

Write a Comment

By Renee Cordes

The Portland Museum of Art has reached an agreement on a new, three-year contract with members of Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers, which represents full-time, regular part-time and on-call museum employees

The new contract, which gives all full-time employees a minimum salary of $50,000, was ratified by union members on Nov. 3 and by the museum’s board of trustees on Nov. 13. The museum announced the news last week.

All employees covered by the agreement will receive an average wage increase of at least 8%. The contract also expands parental leave as well as the museum's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion principles and its recognition of union seniority.

“Members of Local 2110 are critical to the success of the PMA and to the visitor experience,” Mark Bessire, the museum's director, said in the announcement. “Working in good faith throughout negotiations, we were able to reach an agreement that treats union members fairly and with respect while also protecting the long-term financial stability of the museum.”

The agreement comes three years after workers at the museum formed a union.

“Our negotiating process was a productive one and we are pleased that we were able to reach an agreement that will significantly improve conditions for bargaining unit staff,” Olga Brudastova, president of UAW Local 2110, said of the latest talks. “We look forward to cooperative labor relations with the PMA.”

The number of employees covered by the new agreement was not immediately available.

UAW Local 2110 is a technical, office and professional union that represents many museums and cultural institutions in the northeastern United States.

Besides the PMA, institutions represented in the union include the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.