The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) has gracefully acquiesced to the demands of its employees, agreeing to formally recognize their new union. Approximately 100 workers are set to don the union label, aligning themselves with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31, known for rallying the labor movement within Chicago's cultural bastions.

The decision to bypass the need for a formal National Labor Relations Board election allows MCA to swiftly move forward in the collective bargaining process. In a display of unity, the museum and the union have agreed to quickly kick off the authentication of signed union cards by a neutral third party. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Madeleine Grynsztejn, MCA Director, has expressed the institution's enthusiasm for collaborative conversations: "We respect our employees' right to organize, and we are committed to working collectively on an agreement."

While some companies are erecting barriers against the tide of unionization, the MCA has chosen to surf the wave. This concord reflects a divergence from the contentious union standoffs making the rounds in the national press, where corporations like Starbucks and Trader Joe's have become infamous for their anti-union tactics.

The burgeoning union, MCA Workers United, will embody staff from varied museum sectors including guest experience, building operations, curatorship, and the handling of collections and exhibitions. The union's organizing committee lauded MCA's leadership for choosing to voluntarily recognize the union, signaling a championing of workers' rights. In a statement obtained by Chicago Business, they said, “After a supermajority of our coworkers signed union cards, we asked museum administration to recognize our union, showing that it can be a leader not only in contemporary art but in workers’ rights.”

AFSCME Council 31 is fortifying its resume with another successful campaign to unionize Chicago's cultural workers, bolstering the over 10,000 museum employees already within its nation-spanning network. The union has been silently marching on a conquest spree, having signed up members at prominent city museums, encompassing the likes of the Field Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.