La Brea Tar Pits and L.A. Natural History Museum Workers Unionize

Every year, more than one million tourists and Southern California locals stream through the La Brea Tar Pits and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, taking in prehistoric fossils and centuries-old artifacts. Now, much of the staff that those visitors encounter along their way will be represented by a labor union.

A union representing around 300 workers — from performers to engineers to educators — has been voluntarily recognized by management of the institutions, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees announced on Wednesday. An earlier card count found that around 70 percent of the bargaining unit supported joining AFSCME Cultural Workers United, Council 36, which represents staff at institutions including the Academy Museum, the Academy Foundation and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

“I’m so proud of the work we have done as workers to organize our union,” guest associate Raquel Cornejo said in a statement on Wednesday. “We hope to begin the process of negotiating our contract soon.”

A spokesperson for the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which includes the La Brea Tar Pits and the Natural History Museum, said in a statement that the unionization process “has remained very positive on both sides” that the institutions were “looking forward to working with the union throughout the next phases of this process.”

Once it went public, the unionization drive moved quickly. After an open letter announced the move on March 25, the card count occurred on Wednesday, followed by voluntary recognition from management the same day.

Now, the parties will begin working toward negotiating a first contract. On the union’s agenda is improvements to compensation, benefits, workplace safety and transparency, diversity, accessibility and job security at their workplaces. “We believe that the power of decision making must be shared with all voices, including ours, across various departments and diverse roles within the institution,” organizers wrote in their March 25 letter.

Added performing arts educator Oscar Nava in a testimonial on the organizing group’s website, “It takes a team to make the magic of wonder and inspiration come to life at both the Natural History Museum and La Brea Tar Pits, and all of our staff members deserve a safe and sustainable workplace.”

With around 45,000 members, AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United group represents library, museum and zoo staffers at institutions ranging from the Art Institute of Chicago to the Los Angeles Public Library to the New York Botanical Garden.