The National Labor Relations Board has filed a formal complaint accusing the Chicago History Museum of breaking federal labor law by firing and retaliating against staff shortly after they voted to form a union. The complaint says four employees were dismissed immediately following the April 1, 2025, vote, and that others were disciplined, laid off, or bumped to part-time. The museum is required to answer the charge by May 29.
According to the Chicago Sun‑Times, the NLRB complaint alleges that then human resources chief Shatierra Parks fired four employees right after the vote, disciplined four more, and threatened workers with termination over the union drive. The paper reports that employees later wrote to the museum’s board alleging retaliation, and that in July 2025, then-president Donald Lassere laid off two workers and converted four full-time positions to part-time. AFSCME Council 31 filed five charges that ultimately led to the NLRB action.
What the NLRB found
NLRB records show museum staff won certification as Chicago History Museum Workers United/AFSCME Council 31 after a tally issued on April 1, 2025. The NLRB’s public case file lists 47 votes in favor of certification and 6 against, with 53 ballots counted, and the union was later formally certified.
Union response
AFSCME and the organizing workers say the NLRB complaint backs up what they have been alleging for more than a year. AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch told the Chicago Sun‑Times, “It’s illegal to retaliate against workers for exercising their freedom to form a union,” and urged the museum to restore what affected employees lost.
What the complaint could mean
If the NLRB proves its allegations, the agency can seek make-whole remedies that may include reinstating fired workers, awarding back pay, removing unlawful discipline from records, and requiring the museum to issue a formal notice to employees. A complaint at this stage usually moves into an administrative process in front of an administrative law judge, unless the parties negotiate a settlement first.
Local context
The clash at the Chicago History Museum is unfolding amid a broader wave of organizing in Chicago’s cultural institutions and around the country. AFSCME notes that workers at the Art Institute, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Museum of Science & Industry have all unionized in recent years. AFSCME first announced Chicago History Museum workers’ plans to organize in February 2025, and the group won NLRB certification that April.
Next steps
The museum has not publicly challenged the NLRB’s filing and did not immediately issue a public statement when contacted. Former CEO Donald Lassere stepped down in January, and Michael Anderson is serving as interim president while the board searches for a permanent leader. Whether the museum chooses to fight the complaint or cut a deal will determine if the case heads to a full hearing or ends at the bargaining table.
