Name: New Children's Museum lays off dozens of workers amid union effort, citing pandemic
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New Children's Museum lays off dozens of workers amid union effort, citing pandemic

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Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement Dozens of employees of the New Children’s Museum recently were laid off, and some workers suspect the mass termination was prompted by their recent vote to certify as a union.The union-organizing effort — the first of its kind at a nonprofit museum in San Diego — was being closely watched by other charity executives as a test case and potential harbinger of labor practices to come.Earlier this month, New Children’s Museum officials notified more than 30 workers by email that they were being let go, a decision the human-resources director blamed on the temporary shutdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.Advertisement“Due to the financial hardship of the museum and no expected reopen date from the officials, we have decided at this time we will be laying off the majority of our employees effective today, May 15, 2020,” the notice said. “You are receiving this email because you are part of those employees affected by this decision.”Reed Vickerman, the New Children’s Museum chief operating officer, said in a statement to The San Diego Union-Tribune that the initial goal was to retain the full staff through the closure.The organization was forced to change course once it became clear the museum would not reopen any time soon, he said, but that doesn’t mean that collective bargaining has ended.“This action in no way affects the museum’s intent to continue bargaining in good faith toward an agreement with the union,” he said. “Our next scheduled negotiation session is set for the first week of June and we look forward to a productive conversation.”The museum said it laid off 33 union members and 17 non-union employees. It continued to furlough nine other workers, including eight other union members. Benefits for eligible laid-off employees will continue to be paid through next month, the museum said. The museum employees’ union was formed under the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 465, which put the number of layoffs at 34.The layoffs blindsided union organizers because they came two days after the latest negotiating session.“I had the impression that we were moving forward,” said Alisa Miller, who helped lead the union effort and attended the bargaining sessions before she was laid off. “It’s my first time being at the negotiating table, but I thought we were building trust, a partnership.”Miller, who started at the museum as a part-time guide and worked her way up to full-time education coordinator, said she and most of the union members were placed on furlough beginning April 1.Even after the decision was made to close the museum and idle the workforce, museum officials and union leaders continued to hold bargaining sessions online, she said.“I love working with kids, and I really value the work the museum was doing in the community,” Miller said. “I spent years building relationships with families, and that’s all been uprooted.”The museum, whose web address is the catchy thinkplaycreate.org, dates back decades.It was shuttered in 2002 when new construction pushed aside its former space downtown. It reopened as the New Children’s Museum a dozen years ago this month in 50,000 square feet spread over three floors designed by renowned local architect Rob Quigley. Though The New Children’s Museum is closed during the coronavirus pandemic, its staff is virtually providing do-it-yourself activities, creative challenges and other activities to keep families engaged and creative at home. The charity now raises and spends about $5 million a year and holds net assets of almost $20 million, according to its latest federal tax filing.Museum workers announced their intention to form a union in October, and the measure was approved by ballot the following month. Initial bargaining sessions began in January, two months before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.Anabel Arauz, a lead organizer for IBEW Local 465, said the museum’s decision to move ahead with layoffs is not permitted under federal labor laws.“We were in bargaining, and they have to bargain in good faith,” she said. “They have to notify us at least 60 days in advance if they are going to do a layoff. I think they are using the pandemic as an excuse to bust the union.”Arauz said the employees wanted better pay, especially for the part-time staff, and equity in benefits. Mostly, they wanted to be heard and to have a seat at the table, she said.“They love their jobs, they want to be able to change the narrative in there,” she said. “Workers in the arts and the nonprofit community, they love to live off the myth of starving artists, but they also need to live off equitable wages.”The question of how much in salary and benefits charities should pay employees has vexed nonprofit executives for years.They need a competent and professional workforce to function effectively, but many tax-exempt organizations resist paying higher salaries because donors often prefer that their contributions pay for services and not for overhead.“There is a flawed public perception that nonprofit work is or should be done by charitable volunteers,” said Laura Deitrick, director of the Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego. “The reality is that most nonprofit services are produced by people, and in many instances the scope and sheer volume of the work is not suitable for an all-volunteer workforce,” she said. “We need a shift in the public perception that overhead is a ‘bad’ thing in a nonprofit.”Katie Barrows, of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union in Washington, D.C., said more charity workers are beginning to unionize as a way to improve working conditions and boost salaries.“Nonprofit employees need more of a voice in their organizations,” she said. “We work long hours for low wages, and one of our goals is to raise standards for the whole nonprofit sector.”Jamie Harrison is among the New Children’s Museum employees who was laid off. She started as a part-time front desk associate in 2018, just after graduating from San Diego State University, and was promoted before the furloughs were imposed in March. Harrison expected to return to work full-time once her maternity leave ended.“To have that opportunity taken away stings a little,” she said.Harrison said she is now focused on her own children, a baby boy and school-aged daughter who is learning remotely due to the pandemic.“Luckily I have a little money saved up, so I can afford to cover my expenses for now,” she said. “I’m hoping that once the city begins to open up again, I will begin to seek employment.” Get our essential investigative journalism Sign up for the weekly Watchdog newsletter for investigations, data journalism and more. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune. 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Copyright © 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune | | AdvertisementAdvertisement Dozens of employees of the New Children’s Museum recently were laid off, and some workers suspect the mass termination was prompted by their recent vote to certify as a union.The union-organizing effort — the first of its kind at a nonprofit museum in San Diego — was being closely watched by other charity executives as a test case and potential harbinger of labor practices to come.Earlier this month, New Children’s Museum officials notified more than 30 workers by email that they were being let go, a decision the...

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New Children's Museum lays off dozens of workers amid union effort, citing pandemic

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