Shedd Aquarium employees win union election

There’s yet another crest in the historic wave of workers forming unions at Chicago cultural institutions: Employees at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium have formed their union with AFSCME Council 31. 

The National Labor Relations Board announced Nov. 2 that employees of Shedd Aquarium won their union by a wide margin, overcoming management’s anti-union misinformation campaign. 

Elections results were certified on Nov. 12. Shedd Workers United/AFSCME now represents about 180 employees, marking nine straight victories for the AFSCME Cultural Workers United (CWU) campaign in Chicago.

“Shedd is an institution focused on sustainability for marine life. Together in our union, we can ensure an equal focus on making it a sustainable 
place to work,” the Shedd Workers United organizing committee said.

Chronically low wages were forcing many dedicated employees to leave the aquarium because they couldn’t afford to work there without a secondary income. Now in their union, they intend to bargain for wage increases that will keep dedicated employees at the Shedd.

“Really great and talented people were leaving,” said Carlee Reber, a learning facilitator and a member of the organizing committee. “They needed resources to take care of themselves, and they needed more flexibility so they weren’t burning out.”

Shedd management retained two costly anti-union law firms and was charged with violating federal labor law for its efforts to prevent workers from exercising their right to organize. 

But the election results show that workers soundly rejected management’s relentless campaign of misinformation.

“The future is exciting,” Reber said. “Now we have the tools and the leverage to make the changes we’ve sought for years and years. The union is there now and they’ll have to listen to us.”

Since 2021, AFSCME has helped workers form unions at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Museum of Science & Industry, the Newberry Library, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (staff and non-tenure-track faculty).

Workers at libraries, museums and zoos are joining together through the CWU campaign to negotiate for better pay and working conditions, demand equity and fight for transparency in their workplaces. Across the country, AFSCME represents more cultural workers than any other union, including 10,000 workers at 91 museums.