AFSCME Council 36: Workers at the National History Museum of Los Angeles County and La Brea Tarpits Announce Unionization Efforts

Following a wave of successful organizing drives among cultural institutions throughout the city, workers at the Natural History Museum (NHM) and La Brea Tar Pits (LBTP), the oldest museums in Western United States, joined forces and announced that they are forming a union through AFSCME Council 36 as the Natural History Museum & Tar Pits Workers Union (NHMTPWU). The new union would represent approximately 300 workers and include performers, engineers, educators, guest relations associates, and more.

In a letter that was circulated among staff, workers listed numerous longstanding issues they aim to address through their union, including better pay, benefits and compensation; transparency; safe working conditions; inclusion, diversity and accessibility; and a desire to have a workplace that values, empowers, and advocates for its employees.

According to Tyler Nicholas, who works in the Community Science Program, “Uniting as a community of workers is the best way we can make our voices heard and truly make the museums welcoming places for everyone to visit.”

Another key factor driving the unionization efforts is a growing frustration over stagnant wages that fail to keep up with Los Angeles’ rising living costs. Despite management insisting the museums could not afford better pay, benefits, and compensation for employees, the Natural History Museum recently spent 75 million dollars to open a brand-new wing and community hub last fall.

Ren Kascle, a guest associate, supports a union at NHM and LBTP because they believe staff deserve better. “I think we all play such an important role in such an important space and deserve to feel properly supported,” said Kascle.

In a letter notifying museum management and the board of trustees of plans to form a union, the Natural History Museum & Tar Pits Workers Union urged NHM and LBTP to grant voluntary recognition by March 31, 2025. Many nonprofit and cultural institutions in Los Angeles County such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and Academy Foundation of Motion Pictures, granted voluntary recognition to their staff unions, all of whom also organized with AFSCME Council 36 and are part of AFSCME Cultural Workers United, the largest organizing movement for cultural workers in the country.