Employees at LACMA form union, citing cost of living

The move comes just before the museum’s Art + Film gala, its highest-profile event.

- BY JESSICA GELT

CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT Los Angeles Times THE ART MUSEUM'S $720-million David Geffen Galleries are scheduled to open six months from now.

Employees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced Wednesday that they are forming a union, LACMA United, representing more than 300 workers from across all departments, including curators, educators, guest relations associates and others.

The move comes just six months before the museum is scheduled to open its new $720-million David Geffen Galleries, and just a few days before it holds its most high-profile event of the year — the LACMA Art + Film gala, co-hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio, and honoring artist Mary Corse and director Ryan Coogler.

“As we near completion of the new home for our permanent collection, ensuring the stability of our staff is equally crucial to LACMA’s future. Many employees are struggling with wages that have not kept up with the rising cost of living in the sixth-most expensive city in the world,” workers wrote in a letter addressed to the museum’s executive team and the board of trustees. “At the same time, employees in virtually every department continue to absorb expanded responsibilities and workloads, often without additional compensation, due to high turnover, limited resources, and positions that have been vacated or frozen.”

The union asked the executives and trustees to voluntarily recognize LACMA United by Nov. 5.