MEET THE CANDIDATES!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Nominations Meeting. Our members raised their voices to nominate coworkers from across the museums to run for the Bargaining Committee. Several of our union siblings heeded the call and will run for a chance to represent us at the bargaining table. The candidates are…

Jenise Brown (she/her)

CMNH Part-Time Educator
Education
3 years at CMP

From the moment I was approached about joining in an effort to organize a union at CMP, I was all in. I grew up in a Western PA union family with a dad who was Treasurer of his railroad union, and years later, became a union member myself as a graduate student (shout out GAU!) and married a union firefighter. As a part timer, getting to know my coworkers as we organized our union has been a great honor. Now we have a chance to formalize our collective voice and I want to help with that goal. I came to CMP from the private sector, where I was an experienced negotiator with a track record of working within groups for mutual benefit, and I hope to use these skills in service to our union. I also serve as a local Judge of Elections; I take my responsibilities to be impartial very seriously and care deeply about civic engagement. While our jobs might be different, we have so many things in common, and I commit to doing my best to work for us all. Thank you for your consideration!

Pam Curtin (she/her)

CMNH Powdermill Nature Reserve
Museum Educator
​10 years at CMP

As part of the UMW Bargaining Committee, I will be dedicated to improving communications and transparency, increasing staff retention and advancement opportunities, and advocating for better wages and working conditions. Drawing from ten years’ experience as a part-time educator at Powdermill, a career spanning various part-time and full-time positions in the museum field, and involvement with the union since last year, I understand the challenges we face and opportunities ahead, and am passionate about making positive change. I lend strong communication and research skills, knowledge of our institutional history, a collaborative work ethic, and commitment to justice. Our strength lies in our diverse roles and responsibilities across CMP, and I will openly listen to all concerns and ensure they are taken seriously at the bargaining table. It would be an honor to represent my coworkers as we create a safer, more equitable work environment together.

Gabi DiDonna (she/her)

CMOA
Associate Registrar, Registration
​ 10.5 years at CMP

We need a strong first contract that addresses the fundamental core issues that affect all of the 500+ union-eligible employees. As a longtime CMOA employee, and as someone who has been deeply involved in the union campaign from the start in fall 2019, I have a thorough understanding of the problems and areas for improvement across all CMP components. I am deeply committed to listening to the concerns of all employees and then articulating those needs directly to CMP management during bargaining sessions. As a member of the committee, I would work hard both at the bargaining table and in establishing transparent communications with UMW membership about the ongoing progress of negotiations. If elected, I will use my professional negotiation experience, legal knowledge of nonprofit union contracts and bargaining procedures, directness and firm attitude, and institutional knowledge to represent all employees in fighting for what we need and deserve.

Tom Fisher (he/him)

CMOA
Multimedia Producer, Marketing
6.5 years at CMP

Responsibilities are meant to come with rights and resources. As our workloads and job duties grow, so should our voices and our means of raising them. Our contract will ensure that we are heard and equipped to sustain our work, our values, and our communities. Bargaining provides us a legal and diplomatic method of empowering ourselves and creating a more inclusive and equitable Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh for everyone. We, the CMP workforce, are a community dedicated to community. We combine our unique expertise and experiences to make the museums more accessible, enriching, and collaborative. As a lifelong member of this community, serving on the Bargaining Committee would be my pledge to advocate for each and every one of us unconditionally. We are all essential.

Andrew William Huntley II (he/him)

CMNH
Gallery Presenter II, Gallery Experience
​5 years at CMP

As a part time and front line staff member, I work alongside my colleagues, seeing their abuse from the general public on a daily basis. Like many, I was also furloughed, so I am intimately familiar with how the museums have treated their staff, and I want to ensure fair and equitable treatment and compensation for the employees of CMP. I have a full time job elsewhere, so I am at the museums by choice as opposed to financial necessity, so I am in a position to sit across from leadership without fear of potential reprisal. I feel like this puts me in an ideal position to make sure the staff that are most abused are fairly heard.

Aiyana Kachmarek (she/her)

AWM
Lead Gallery Attendant, Visitor Services
​ 2 years at CMP

As a frontline, part-time worker I have gained experience working directly with the public. The recent pandemic has proved to be challenging for folks in these roles as health and safety concerns have changed our jobs drastically. Working as a Gallery Attendant at the AWM has opened my eyes to the financial divide among departments and roles within CMP, one of the most oppressive aspects of this hierarchy is the fact that frontline workers are paid wages that not only keep folks in poverty, but also lead to high turnover rate and little to no chance of upward mobility within the institution. I began working on our unionization effort in March of 2020 and I learned so much about what it means to be a museum worker as we fought for a successful union election. If elected to the Bargaining Committee, I will do my very best to represent all four of our wonderful museums to ensure that everyone's voice is heard and respected.

Jim Kappas (he/him)

CSC
Admissions Senior Representative, Service & Engagement
​3 years at CMP

I have worked on the Organizing Committee from very early in this campaign, and have found this work important and rewarding. I want to continue that work on the Bargaining Committee. I started at CSC as a part-time entry-level worker out of school, and I have been front facing my entire tenure at CSC. I work directly with both the visitors and other frontline staff, as well as our non-customer facing departments. I hope to keep my close contacts with our workforce I built over the organizing campaign, and want to be a voice for our frontline visitor services staff, as we are the grease that keeps the museums running! As a bargainer, I hope to keep my fierce commitment to the values that we all embody as United Museum Workers and as CMP employees.

Jeremy Moore (he/him)

Central
Technical Support Specialist, IT
​ 6 years at CMP

My name is Jeremy Moore, Technical Support Specialist from Central, and pronouns are he, him, his. I have been with the Institute Six years two months starting as an intern working late nights. I now manage the Warhol and Science Center while also being a member of CMP IDEA Council focused on Diversity and Inclusion.

The hope is to serve the Bargaining committee by lifting up all of CMP with the goal of a sustainable rational institute at the cusp of diversity. I am committed to building the culture promoting the Idea that every human has the right to be alive. In addition I am certain to do the research and work to fix the systemic issues. This LINK has resources for anyone reading this who is currently struggling during these times. I personally endorse these organizations but this does not necessarily indicate UMW or USW endorsement, I have your back Carnegie. It will get better.

Shannon Thompson (she/her)

AWM
Inclusion Programs Coordinator, Learning and Public Engagement
​3.5 years

I was part time at CMP in a few different roles over the years, and I've been full time for a few months - I understand issues facing both classifications. I'm a diplomat at heart, and in a conflict I can empathize with and hear all positions even as I advocate for the one I feel to be right. Also, getting to know folks from across the museum system was a huge highlight of organizing for me, and I would be excited about the chance to do more of it!

John Watt (he/him)

Central and CSC
Development Assistant, ACE
​3.5 years at CMP

I want to advocate for my coworkers to the best of my abilities, and I believe that my work experience at Carnegie Science Center and the Museums, my willingness to listen to my coworkers concerns, my ability to work under pressure, my analytical mindset, and my aspiration to act diplomatically while holding true to my values makes being a member of the bargaining committee an ideal way to do so.