Unionised workers at New York's Storm King sculpture park ratify their first contracts

Visitors at Storm King Art Center in upstate New York Photo by Eldan Goldenberg, via Wikimedia Commons
After nearly eight months of negotiations, workers at the Storm King Art Center ratified their first contracts late last month. With these new contracts, workers are now assured the average hourly wage will go up by more than 9% and that employers contribute to the workers’ 403(b) retirement accounts. Other highlights from the contracts include minimum call-in pay (four hours for on-site call ins and one hour for remote work), cancellation pay for shifts canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice, pay for out of title work and the addition of two days of paid time off, among other benefits.
The union, which was formed in June 2023, is composed of 75 people working across various departments and is a part of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 1000, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The union consists of two bargaining units. One unit is part of CSEA CSEA Local 720—Unit A, formed in spring of last year and representing the majority of full-time Storm King employees and several part-time workers. The other unit, known as CSEA Local 720—Unit VS, is made up of workers from Storm King’s visitor services department. Unit A’s contract is valid through 31 July 2027 and Unit VS’s agreement ends 31 July 2028.
“A lot of work went into this process, starting from the ground up,” said Bam Bowen, a negotiating committee member from CSEA Local 720—Unit VS who works as a team lead in the visitor services department. “From organising staff to getting cards signed, every step was a collective effort. We sat at the negotiating table, stood up for each other and persevered together. I am so proud to work with these incredible folks and am proud of all we have achieved. We now have a collective voice and a seat at the table.”
Like employees at many other art institutions, workers at Storm King started organising after a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion was announced. In Storm King’s case, the sculpture park revealed plans for a $45m campus revamp in the summer of 2022 (it is due to be complete this year). Following news of the redesign, union members mobilised in March 2023 and launched an email campaign asking their supporters to reach out to the institution’s board of trustees to demand leadership meet with union negotiators.
“Storm King is pleased to have reached an agreement with both of our union-represented staff units after what has been a collaborative and fruitful process,” a spokesperson for Storm King tells The Art Newspaper. “We’re proud that this agreement has immediate benefits, such as institution-wide wage increases, as well as enduring policies and procedures that ensure Storm King is an equitable and supportive workplace for all staff.”
Storm King’s campus, which is located in the Hudson River Valley just north of New York City, houses a number of large-scale outdoor works by artists such as Tony Smith, Richard Serra, Maya Lin and Andy Goldsworthy among many others, as well as a robust programme of temporary exhibitions. It is a popular destination for art patrons from the New York area and beyond.

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