Unionized staff at the Brooklyn Museum, the Guggenheim, the Jewish Museum and the American Folk Art Museum have ratified new contracts securing wage increases, strengthened job protections and continued health coverage. Brooklyn’s agreement raises full-time minimum salaries to $63,585–$129,854 (retroactive to July 1) and guarantees an additional 10.34% rise by contract end; visitor-facing hourly pay will reach $28.69–$32. AFAM’s inaugural contract guarantees 13.6% cumulative raises over four years and employer-paid health benefits. The Whitney remains in active bargaining with a strike date looming.
Museum Unions Secure New Contracts — Brooklyn, Guggenheim, Jewish Museum and AFAM Ratify Agreements
The Guggenheim and Brooklyn Museum Unions Have Ratified Its New Contracts
Unionized staff at four major New York cultural institutions—the Brooklyn Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, the Jewish Museum and the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM)—have ratified new collective bargaining agreements, UAW Local 2110 announced today. The pacts deliver wage gains, strengthened job protections and preserved health-care benefits after months of tense negotiations and public protests.
Brooklyn Museum: Higher Minimums, Annual Raises and Continued Health Care
The Brooklyn Museum approved a second contract that guarantees annual wage increases and raises full-time minimum salaries to a range of $63,585–$129,854 depending on job level, with increases retroactive to July 1. The contract also provides for an additional 10.34% increase to those minimums by the end of the agreement. Front-facing visitor services and retail associates will earn between $28.69 and $32 per hour by the contract's conclusion.
"We are pleased to have negotiated a second contract that preserves the quality of our health care and provides significant wage increases," said Elizabeth St. George, an assistant curator at the Brooklyn Museum. "It was important to us to maintain affordable health care, including keeping an out-of-network option."
The new agreement follows a fraught period in which museum leadership announced plans in early 2025 to cut more than 10% of staff amid a reported $10 million operating deficit. Those proposed cuts prompted protests from union members and a public outcry; the layoffs did not take place and the New York City Council provided a $2.5 million grant to help stabilize the museum's finances.
AFAM: Inaugural Contract Locks In Raises and Benefits
The American Folk Art Museum's bargaining unit ratified its first contract after nearly two years at the negotiating table. The agreement guarantees cumulative wage increases totaling 13.6% over four years for all staff. Entry-level museum-store employees and security and facilities associates will receive raises of 8–22%, retroactive to July 1.
The contract establishes a binding grievance procedure, additional pay for staff who assume extra duties or must be on-site during emergencies, limits the use of temporary hires and subcontractors, and secures employer-paid health-care coverage with no employee premium contributions.
"AFAM staff voted unanimously to unionize to address pressing concerns about our workplace," said Richard Ho, AFAM's director of information technologies, who has worked at the museum for 25 years. "I'm happy that we were able to reach an agreement that will make the Museum a more sustainable place to work for all of us."
Guggenheim and Jewish Museum: Ongoing Labor Focus
The Guggenheim's union—organized in 2021 and representing roughly 150 curators, conservators, educators and public programmers—ratified its first contract in 2023. In February 2025 the museum announced layoffs affecting about 20 employees (roughly 7% of its workforce), citing a deteriorated financial picture. During subsequent bargaining, the union pressed for stronger job-security protections, advance notice of layoffs and improved severance pay. Members also picketed high-profile events to amplify their demands.
UAW Local 2110 also reported that the Jewish Museum ratified its second contract in September, securing gains for its staff.
Whitney And Other Museums
The Whitney Museum remains in active negotiations, with a strike date set for October 5 — three days before member previews for a major Roy Lichtenstein retrospective — as roughly 200 unionized employees press for stronger job security, affordable health care and higher wages. Local 2110 said it is also negotiating contracts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum and the Noguchi Museum.
What This Means
These ratifications mark a notable moment for museum labor in New York City: unions achieved concrete wage gains, protections against outsourcing and preserved health-care benefits in institutions that have recently faced financial strain. The deals may serve as models for other cultural institutions and could influence ongoing and future negotiations across the sector.
Note on Dates: Some public reports include inconsistent year references for the timing of particular bargaining rounds. Where a specific year was unclear in source reports, this piece avoids asserting uncertain dates while preserving the sequence and substance of events.
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