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AICWU Updates & Writings
Know your rights
We have a right to organize a union and our rights are clear. These rights are protected by the national government; an employer may not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.
Forming our bargaining committee!
Now that we’ve won our union, we must come together to nominate members for election to our bargaining committee. Here’s a little about what a bargaining committee is and what role the committee plays in securing our first contract.
We filed for our union election!
We have built overwhelming support for our union on cards and filed them with the Labor Board, triggering the election where we can all Vote Yes for ourselves, for our coworkers, and for the better museum and school we want to build together.
Workers have spoken: Recognize our union!
We have big, exciting news: A majority of our coworkers, AIC and SAIC employees both, have signed union authorization cards!
This Is What a Union Looks Like
Thank you for making yesterday’s rally such a positive and successful event. Our lineup of inspiring speakers spoke to a crowd of 200 people and reminded us all why we came together in the first place: to uplift and listen to each other.
Speak Out with AICWU on Thursday, Sept. 9
AIC/SAIC employees and allies stand together and speak out for our union! Thursday, Sept. 9 at 5:30 p.m. RSVP here!
Meet Fellow Museum Activists from the Walker, Penn, PMA, and Harvard
Join us for a conversation with fellow museum activists about their union organizing experiences!
Museum, school hire anti-worker firms to fight employees
In an attempt to target and undermine us, their own employees, AIC/SAIC senior leadership has hired two costly firms to fight our choice to organize.
SAIC Peer-to-Peer Q&A
At this juncture in our efforts to organize, as we’re creating the opportunity to negotiate a fair contract with management, we want to assert our belief in SAIC’s potential.
Museum Finances
Did you know that just one month after the museum laid off 51 employees last June 2020, it reported $1.41 billion in net assets (including $480 million in unrestricted net assets), a $1.14 billion endowment and a total operating surplus of $68.5 million for the fiscal year?
Informational Meetings for SAIC Staff on 8/19
You're invited to a SAIC Union Informational Meeting on Aug. 19. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
AICWU Banner Drop!
Thank you to all the members of our organizing committee from across the school and museum who participated in last week’s banner drop. We could not be more proud and energized! Solidarity forever.
Museum Peer-to-Peer Q&A
We had a big week! SAIC staff announced they are joining our campaign. While we will form separate bargaining units, we are happy to be working together in solidarity towards a strong voice for workers!
Informational Meetings for Museum Staff on 8/11
Register for an informational meeting and learn more about AICWU from colleagues! Open to all union-eligible museum employees.
SAIC Public Letter
Through the collective voice of the Art Institute of Chicago Workers United, we will advocate for an equitable, sustainable, and transparent workplace for SAIC employees at every level.
Museum Peer-to-Peer Q&A
We have gotten numerous inquiries and thought that it would be helpful for all to publicly address some of the most common questions here. (Never fear! We’ll keep it short and sweet.)