“You can’t eat prestige”: The impact of unionization on art museum worker’s well-being

Authors:

• Sara J. Bell, Museology Graduate Program
• Chair: Jessica Luke
• Michelle Millar Fisher
• Dan Jacoby
• Mary Kay Gugerty

Abstract:

The museum field is facing a crisis of worker satisfaction and well-being that is in large part born from leadership and administration found wanting. As positions become more competitive and wages stagnate, museum workers are feeling frustrated and disinterested in the sector, with many choosing to unionize to address some of these issues. The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which unionization can impact workplace well-being among art museum workers. Using an adapted version of the PERMA profiler, interviews were conducted with 11 art museum professionals in unions. Results identify three ways in which unionization can impact worker well-being: increasing job resources and decreasing job demands, fostering community, and making room to dream. Workers felt more at ease in their positions as they were provided more resources through the union. They also felt more connected to their fellow coworkers because they were able to foster solidarity and community. In turn, this led workers to feel that they had the ability to connect more deeply to their work and explore both personal and professional interests. These results suggest that unionization can positively impact worker well-being in art museums and can be used by practitioners who hope to facilitate community-building and better their own well-being within the workplace. Because of this, unionization can be seen as a positive activity for researchers interested in the intersection of unionization and workplace well-being.