Portland Museum of Art Workers (UAW 2110) Make Improvements After Difficult Times

It was a rocky few years for Portland Museum of Art (PMA) workers after they voted to unionize with the UAW Local 2110, a union for technical, office and professional workers, in 2021. After overcoming management’s bitter anti-union campaign, they won their union election and reached a first contract in 2021. Then in early 2024, the organization eliminated positions and unfair labor practices were filed. Finally, after negotiating a second contract with decent pay raises and improvements to working conditions last fall, things appear to be turning around.

“I think that across the board, our workers are feeling more confident in their ability to advocate for themselves,” said Lorna Stephens, a museum production manger and member of the union’s negotiation committee. “There's been a little bit of changeability in management's approach, which probably can be attributed to the fact that we've had four different HR directors in four years.”

Stephens, who grew up in Blue Hill, was hired at PMA in the spring of 2021, after the workers voted to join Local 2110. It was her second job out of college - the first was for a tourism convention and visitors bureau in Wisconsin. At PMA, she handles vendor relations for the design and marketing team. It’s her first job in a unionized position. She said she decided to get involved in the union and serve on the bargaining committee after hearing from coworkers who were frustrated with policies around promotions and advancement within the organization.

“There was a little bit of confusion in terms of leadership of the union and the bargaining committee seemed like a good opportunity to just kind of get involved,” said Stephens. “I wanted to support those people.”

In February, 2024, PMA eliminated 13 positions, including eleven union members, citing the financial strains caused by the pandemic and a resulting 35 percent decrease in visitations since 2020. Among those laid off was the PMA union’s president. A short time later, the workers began bargaining their second contract

“There was a lot of frustration and disappointment in management across the board and our membership, so there was a real impetus for space to improve,” said Stephens.

After extending the contract a month, the PMA workers ratified a second contract in October, 2024 that included 8 percent across-the-board wage increases and a raise in base pay for the lowest paid workers. Originally the minimum annual salary for those employees was $40,000, but the new contract created two bands for those employees. The union increased the first band to $47,000, which will rise to $50,000 by the end of the contract. The next band up now starts at $50,000. Stephens called that victory “one of our proudest moments.”

The new contract also makes improvements to workers’ retirement. Previously PMA staff received a 3 percent employer match and a lump sum at the end of the fiscal year, which was difficult to get if the employee wasn’t working there at the time. The union negotiated a change in the system to a biweekly contribution from the museum and increased it to 4 percent. Stephens says her members are really grateful to the unions who have supported them as well as members of the public who became very vocally supportive of their struggle when they learned about it from union leafletting in Portland.

“It has been really heartening and I'm really grateful for the support that we received,” said Stephens. “The fact that we have a union and that we've been able to negotiate such strong changes to the contract has made our members feel a lot more confident in their ability to advocate for themselves.”