Museum of Science and Industry workers win higher wages in first contract

Employees of the Museum of Science & Industry have won significant wage increases, holiday pay, and other improvements in their first union contract.

Members of Museum of Science and Industry Workers United/AFSCME (MSIWU) approved the contract’s terms in a near-unanimous vote held in November. The workers formed their union with AFSCME Council 31 in July 2023. The local union represents more than 120 MSI employees.

The contract includes a number of notable gains, including:

• Immediate pay raises of 8%-10%
• Annual raises of 3%
• A higher starting wage
• Time-and-a-half holiday pay for part-time employees
• Many non-economic provisions, including rules covering remote work, disciplinary procedures, and more. 

 “It was a tough fight, but by standing together, we — the workers who make the museum happen — made real gains for ourselves and our families,” MSIWU bargaining committee member Santi Van Lysebettens said. “And this is only the beginning. We’ve laid a strong foundation that together in our union we can build on for years to come.”

The agreement came after nearly two years of negotiations that saw workers take escalating actions outside the museum, and which culminated in a vote by union members to authorize a strike. 

Workers had announced their intent to walk off the job on Nov. 29 — the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which is traditionally a very busy day at the museum. But the final scheduled bargaining session yielded an agreement after seven hours of negotiations that went late into the night.

The contract was ratified overwhelmingly on Dec. 3 and MSI workers are now getting down to the nitty gritty work of building their local union.