Laboring Faithfully for Reasonable Wages
Abstract
In July 2023, staff at President Lincoln’s Cottage voted unanimously to unionize, joining the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) as Local #63. The Cottage is the first unionized cultural heritage institution, and the first museum-only union local, in the District of Columbia. Bargaining took place between November 2023 and December 2024, with the first collective agreement taking effect on January 1, 2025. In this article, the authors—both current staff involved in the unionization process—discuss the circumstances that contributed to a low-conflict unionization and bargaining process. In sharing their experience, the authors hope that other cultural institutions may find inspiration or motivation for their own workplace organizing.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Labor Movements and Unions
Academic Freedom and Politics
Race
History
and American Society
Publication details
- Journal / source
- The Public Historian
- Publisher
- University of California Press
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 83–96
- Publication date
- 1 May 2026
- Language
- EN