Art museum technicians vote to join Teamsters

10/26/2007

Glass technicians who work in the hot shop at the Toledo Museum of Art's Glass Pavilion voted Wednesday to be represented by Teamsters Local 20.

The new unit has nine members, most of whom work part-time.

The Teamsters also represent 32 museum employees in maintenance, security, groundskeeping, and other departments.

The museum has about 300 full and part-time employees and has had unionized departments since 1941.

"We've had a good bargaining relationship with the Toledo Museum of Art," said Bill Lichtenwald, Local 20 president, adding that negotiating for the new unit's contract is likely to begin in about a month.

The glass-making studio's manager was fired last month, and last week the director and the administrator of the museum's School of Art and Design left their positions.