George Eastman Museum employees are moving to form a union with Workers United, they wrote in an Aug. 28 letter to the museum’s board of trustees and museum director Bruce Barnes. And on Aug. 31, the workers planned to file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board.
Located at 900 East Ave., once the home of Kodak founder George Eastman, the museum employs nearly 100 people — including projectionists, preservationists, restaurant workers, curators and administrators — and the majority favor unionization, George Eastman Museum Workers United said in a statement.
“I think that a lot of staff have felt that they either need to learn to accept the problems in our workplace or leave, but there is a third option,” Emily Phoenix, a conservator,
said in the statement. “We can work collaboratively towards addressing staff concerns and fixing the issues that have caused high turnover. As a conservator, when I’m faced with a photograph in our collection that's damaged, my impulse isn’t to do nothing or to throw it away, it’s to work to repair the damage. I believe that a union gives us a tool to work on making changes that benefit not only the staff but the museum as a whole.”
Neither the statement nor comments from workers detailed the problems or linked the decision to a specific event.
“We’ve had concerns about how things are handled for a while,” collection manager and archivist Elizabeth Carr said by phone.
However, a little over three months ago, a situation on museum grounds created tension between Barnes and museum staff.
The May 21 incident was sparked by a confrontation between Barnes’ husband, a group of prom-goers taking photos after hours and Barnes himself. At least one 911 call was made, and the Rochester Police Department responded to the National Historic Landmark. No charges were filed, said RPD Capt. Greg Bello.
The episode caused Barnes to lose his temper and behave in an “inappropriate and unconstructive” manner, he acknowledged in a June 5 email to staff obtained by the Democrat and Chronicle.
He also conceded being verbally abusive toward an employee during a staff meeting on May 22.
The museum director apologized profusely in the June 5 email, writing, “I deeply regret my behavior,” and added, “I promise you that I am committed to addressing and remedying any adverse results of my words and actions.”
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When asked to comment on the unionization initiative, the Democrat and Chronicle received the following statement:
“We were just notified of some of our employees’ intent to unionize on Friday. We are currently consulting with attorneys and considering how to proceed appropriately.”
“We care so much about this museum,” said Carr, who like Phoenix believes that making it a better workplace will strengthen it as an institution.
Opened to the public in 1949, George Eastman Museum is the oldest museum in the world dedicated to photography, and it holds one of the world's oldest film archives.
Workers United is headquartered at 750 East Ave., just a few hundred feet from the museum.
The organization also represents museum workers at the Sciencenter in Ithaca and the Buffalo AKG Museum.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers the grocery business and consumer-focused grocery news, as well as retail development, openings and closings. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on X @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: George Eastman Museum workers file for union vote
