Following weeks on the picket line, members of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s first union have ratified their first contract.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art Union announced Sunday night that 99% of its members voted to ratify a contract that will see them receive pay raises, cheaper health care and paid parental leave.
“Over 3 years since we started organizing, we finally won our contract by striking, stopping work, for 3 weeks and forcing management to move,” the union tweeted.
About 190 staff members at the museum – ranging from retail workers and ticket vendors to curators, art handlers and educators – went on strike Sept. 26 over what they said was low and stagnant pay.
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The new contract guarantees a 14% raise over three years and a minimum wage that rises from $15 an hour to $16.75 an hour, according to the union. Among other accomplishments, the union said the contract also provides four weeks of paid parental leave – up from none previously – and reduces the cost of the health care plan that most members are on by more than 50%.
“We are proud of our historic strike. We are proud of our strength, our unity, our resolve. We picketed for days in torrential rain, our footwear stayed wet, our signs soaked through, while management refused to move. We held the line. We were not broken,” the union tweeted, thanking Philadelphia residents for their support.
NBC10 reached out to the museum for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
