On the picket line

Museum guards strike and win

The Seattle Art Museum Visiting Service Officers Union won recognition 2 1/2 years ago. But it took 860 days of negotiations before the workers won a first contract. A 12-day strike in December achieved what they couldn’t win in all the other days of negotiations and ushered in a great victory. The contract vote of the 59 workers was nearly unanimous.

The VSOs are guards who provide security and assist museum visitors with knowledge about the artworks. Many of them are long-term workers. They were up against an anti-labor museum of the Seattle ruling class with $360 million in assets.

The SAM VSO’s were active participants on the picket line throughout the strike, through speeches, chants and the display of a giant rat, as they welcomed all passersby with information about their struggle.

The union received the SAM’s “last, best and final offer” in October. It fell far short of the demands of the workers, who struggle to live in high-priced Seattle, with rents going through the roof. One worker, a union co-representative, told ARTnews, “I’ve struggled to buy shoes, which I need as I spend all day in the galleries.” (Dec. 6)

The new contract includes an immediate wage increase from $21.68 to $23.25 an hour, with a 4% wage increase at the beginning of 2025, followed by 4% wage increases at the beginning of 2026 and 2027.

SAM took away all the workers’ pensions during the pandemic; now the unions’ struggle won them back, not just for SAM VSO workers, but for the entire staff at the museum.

The contract restores the employer match 403b retirement program. The workers also won a union shop, where union membership is mandatory. This increases the power of the union.

The SAM VSO Union demonstrated what it takes to struggle and win against the most stubborn ruling-class bosses.

Jim McMahan contributed this item.

Ski patrol strike

At one of the busiest times of the season, Vail Ski Resort in Park City, Utah, shut down all but 20% of its trails when the workers of Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association went on strike. Vail Resorts is the largest ski resort conglomerate in the U.S. with 42 ski resorts around the world.

Ski patrol workers on strike in Park City, Utah, December 2024.

Skiers have long complained of the “corporatization” of the resort and showed appreciation and support for the ski patrollers even if it meant a less than enjoyable winter vacation. Ski patrol workers are essential for the safety of resort skiers. The sport can be very dangerous if the trails are not monitored and maintained. Often, the patrol must rescue novice skiers who get injured on the slopes and sometimes handle emergencies due to avalanches.

The strike was authorized by the 200 union members, citing unfair labor practices after PCPSPA and Vail Resort had been in contract negotiations for 10 months.

The strike ended after two weeks with a victory for the workers. Starting pay will increase from $21 to $23 per hour, with some members with longevity getting as much as a $7.75 per hour increase.

Seth Dromgoole, ski patroller and lead union negotiator, said in a statement: “This contract is more than just a win for our team — it’s a groundbreaking success in the ski and mountain worker industry. This effort demonstrates what can be achieved when workers stand together and fight for what they deserve.”

Writers support Palestine

Jenna Martin is an independent journalist and photographer who covers West Asia, including the West Bank. She recently joined the National Writers Union and the International Federation of Journalists. She chose to join the NWU because of its strong support of journalists in Palestine.

Martin states: “To say Palestine is a dangerous place for journalists is a massive understatement. Journalists in Palestine are regularly beaten, shot, detained and of course killed. Our equipment is seized or destroyed. I’ve been personally detained by the Israeli military more than once, the last time by an IDF soldier — with an American accent, no less — who told me he would ‘shoot me with the gun I paid for.’” (nwu.org, Dec. 21)

Over 200 journalists have been killed and more have been wounded since October 2023 as the Israeli military routinely targets them as it does health care workers. Five journalists were just killed on Dec. 26 when their news van was targeted in an Israeli airstrike near the besieged Al-Awda Hospital. Gaza is the most dangerous conflict for journalists ever.

Marie Kelly

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Marie Kelly

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