ELECTION UPDATE- MAY 16, 2022
Summer 2022 Bargaining Committee Election
The time has come to elect two new members to our Bargaining Committee!
Our virtual election will be held through OpaVote on Tuesday, May 31st, 2022 from 12:01am to 11:59pm. We will send the link via email prior to election day so each of our members can cast their anonymous vote.
Everyone’s voice is vital!
All of you can assist our Bargaining Committee and Contract Action Team by checking in with your coworkers, making sure they’re aware of this upcoming election and receiving our emails. Do you know someone who hasn’t been getting our newsletters and bargaining updates? Help us get in touch by writing to unitedmuseumworkers.usw@gmail.com. To truly advocate for each other we must ensure that the voices of all of our members are heard!
The time has come to elect two new members to our Bargaining Committee!
Our virtual election will be held through OpaVote on Tuesday, May 31st, 2022 from 12:01am to 11:59pm. We will send the link via email prior to election day so each of our members can cast their anonymous vote.
Everyone’s voice is vital!
All of you can assist our Bargaining Committee and Contract Action Team by checking in with your coworkers, making sure they’re aware of this upcoming election and receiving our emails. Do you know someone who hasn’t been getting our newsletters and bargaining updates? Help us get in touch by writing to unitedmuseumworkers.usw@gmail.com. To truly advocate for each other we must ensure that the voices of all of our members are heard!
Meet the Candidates:
Barbara Ann Crumm (she/they)
AWM
Gallery Associate, Visitor Services
6 months at CMP
AWM
Gallery Associate, Visitor Services
6 months at CMP
Hello fellow UMW’s - I'm BA (she/they) I’m not really a fan of the whole bio thing – because it isn’t about me – it’s about US
NY born & Virginia/DC raised – my Mom was in the Railroad Workers Union - I am a PGH transplant – pandemic relocator! I’m at Andy Warhol Museum as a Gallery Associate in Oct 2021 – My first job as a teenager was at Safeway– a UFCW gig and now Starbucks, Amazon & Museums are UNIONIZING! Front line workers are being represented & heard & negotiating in first time unions & bargaining contracts
I’m committed to wages & benefits that are fair & equitable, & what about FREE parking for our workers? Health, Safety, ADA complaint – free accessible parking is SAFETY too.
"Everyone's work is equally important" (Jenny Holzer's art on t-shirt in the CMOA gift shop) maybe the first bargaining contract should reflect that sentiment. I am committed to doing just that if elected. Our nominees are entirely front line representation. I have no doubt all of US on the list would excel to represent our UMW for our first contract. Again, it is an honor just to be nominated –thank you for all that you do UMW.
NY born & Virginia/DC raised – my Mom was in the Railroad Workers Union - I am a PGH transplant – pandemic relocator! I’m at Andy Warhol Museum as a Gallery Associate in Oct 2021 – My first job as a teenager was at Safeway– a UFCW gig and now Starbucks, Amazon & Museums are UNIONIZING! Front line workers are being represented & heard & negotiating in first time unions & bargaining contracts
I’m committed to wages & benefits that are fair & equitable, & what about FREE parking for our workers? Health, Safety, ADA complaint – free accessible parking is SAFETY too.
"Everyone's work is equally important" (Jenny Holzer's art on t-shirt in the CMOA gift shop) maybe the first bargaining contract should reflect that sentiment. I am committed to doing just that if elected. Our nominees are entirely front line representation. I have no doubt all of US on the list would excel to represent our UMW for our first contract. Again, it is an honor just to be nominated –thank you for all that you do UMW.
Emily Durbin (she/her)
CMOA
Gallery Associate, Visitor Services
3 weeks at CMP
CMOA
Gallery Associate, Visitor Services
3 weeks at CMP
I just started as a part-time Gallery Associate at CMOA, and I am thrilled and grateful to be a union member thanks to all of you. I want to help us all get a living wage by helping in any capacity that I can. I have experience in management as well as in writing and negotiating, and my team and I quit that company for ethical reasons during the pandemic as we fought for safe and healthy working conditions. I also have worked in retail at low wages for almost a decade, and like all of you I have seen firsthand the devastating ripple effect on society of overworked and underpaid workers. This is a fight that affects everyone, but the lowest paid and most marginalized are at the front lines.
Liam Flynn (he/him)
CMNH
Gallery Experience Presenter, Lifelong Learning
9 months at CMP
CMNH
Gallery Experience Presenter, Lifelong Learning
9 months at CMP
As a frontline staffer, I’ve had the joy, pleasure, stress, and heartache of interfacing the guests with our wonderful institution. I’d like to bring those perspectives to the table in order to develop agreements that benefit the entire staff. Whether it is concerning the safety of our guests and staff, salaries and benefits, or policies that dictate our daily lives, it is important to bring together all aspects of the Carnegie Museums. Unfortunately I have had to bring some safety issues to light, but with union representation it gave us a voice. We should be able to work in our spaces without holding second or third jobs. Staff should never feel isolated or expected to handle situations well outside their capabilities. We love our jobs. Spending each day amongst the art of masters, the wonders of our world, or inspiring future scientists and critical minds is fulfilling, but we shouldn’t have to struggle for it.
Mallory Jemison (he/him)
CMOA
Gallery Associate, Visitor Services
4 months at CMP
CMOA
Gallery Associate, Visitor Services
4 months at CMP
Greetings All,
I am very honored to be selected as one of the nominees for the bargaining committee, to help negotiate the first binding agreement between upper management and all of us who work each shift keeping the museums operating for Pittsburghers and visitors alike.
No matter if you personally only work 1 shift or are a FT employee the museum would not be able to operate with the efficiency it currently has that keeps its patrons returning.
I understand that "the union" is each one us together speaking with one harmonious voice. No matter if I'm elected or not I am excited to add my own voice to our choir.
I am very honored to be selected as one of the nominees for the bargaining committee, to help negotiate the first binding agreement between upper management and all of us who work each shift keeping the museums operating for Pittsburghers and visitors alike.
No matter if you personally only work 1 shift or are a FT employee the museum would not be able to operate with the efficiency it currently has that keeps its patrons returning.
I understand that "the union" is each one us together speaking with one harmonious voice. No matter if I'm elected or not I am excited to add my own voice to our choir.
Zachary Lyons-Weiler (he/him)
CMNH
Gallery Experience Presenter, Lifelong Learning
2 years at CMP
CMNH
Gallery Experience Presenter, Lifelong Learning
2 years at CMP
I am choosing to run for the bargaining committee because I know how critical it is for there to be representation of frontline staff on a committee such as this. Throughout the entirety of the pandemic something that I and many of my coworkers recognized was the disconnect between what was truly happening on the floor, and what our senior staff was aware of. I was often frustrated by this disconnect, as I felt that many upper-level employees lacked an understanding of the true nature of the work environment. As a Gallery Experience Presenter, I have directly interacted with the public at the most personal level and know a great deal about what can be done to improve conditions for all staff and employees. I also have communicated a great deal with employees from other departments and understand many of the frustrations and issues that they hope our union is able to remedy. I am also skilled in communication both across departments and to more higher ranking employees. This experience of being a front line employee and a skilled communicator from a crucial department at CMNH will allow me to bring unique and critical perspectives to the table, which is why I am choosing to run for the committee. Thank you for your time taken reading this and your consideration of voting for me for this position.
Natalie McClaine (she/her)
AWM
Gallery Associate, Visitor Services
2 years at CMP
AWM
Gallery Associate, Visitor Services
2 years at CMP
Hey UMW friends!! I'm grateful to be a nominee for our incredible Bargaining Committee. There's a great group of nominees and I feel that any of us would be a wonderful addition to the BC. I started my CMP career at the beginning of 2020 as a GA at AWM. Reopening after our three month shutdown presented a lot of challenges for all of CMP, especially frontline staff. It was a rather scary and uncertain time. A lot of us had good supervisors who listened to our concerns. Unfortunately, action was not always taken by CMP. UMW winning its union vote was a huge step forward for us in having a voice. I became a member of the CAT (Contract Action Team) in spring 2021 and joined CMOA in their new GA department that summer. I continued fighting for full mask mandates when cases rose and for greater protection and resources for frontline staff. I returned to AWM in January as a GA. UMW, CAT, and the BC do such incredible work. I'd be honored to continue fighting for all of UMW as a member of the BC with a public facing customer service perspective. Things have gotten better but so much still needs to change!!
Abby Michalowski (she/her)
CMOA/AWM
Educator/Gallery Associate, Education/Visitor Services
5 years at CMP
CMOA/AWM
Educator/Gallery Associate, Education/Visitor Services
5 years at CMP
I have worked at the CMOA for over five years, and at the AWM for two. In my time in these museums, I have witnessed firsthand the myriad of ways that management has and continues to let down its workers through devaluing, disenfranchising and discouraging their workforce. I was also involved in organizing and later as a CAT coordinator, and I saw the passion that these same workers persist in holding for their workplaces. I think that it’s vital that the bargaining committee maintain representation for frontline and part time staff, who make up the vast majority of our workforce across all four museums. I hope to be able to use my experiences to be able to continue to advocate for our rights to make these museums the best possible workplaces they can be, so that we can all feel as valued as we deserve to be.
@UMWpgh
|
@UMWpgh
|
@umwpgh
|
