Denver Art Museum Workers Ratify First Ever Contract for Museum Employees in Colorado

Denver – This Saturday, Denver Art Museum Workers United (DAMWU) ratified a historic collective bargaining agreement, making them the first museum workers in the state’s history to have a union contract.

  The three-year agreement comes after DAMWU’s bargaining committee spent nearly two years in negotiations with management, working to ensure that the issues their colleagues are experiencing were addressed in their final agreement. In addition to more equitable pay, workers fought for a number of other wins, including just cause rights, increased sick time, and stronger policies on health and safety and parental leave. 

On the first day of voting, nearly half of the staff in the bargaining unit showed up to cast their ballots. This turnout reflects the excitement among many of the workers who voted in favor of this agreement.

Pam Skiles, Senior Paintings Conservator, told us that,"It feels great to ratify our first contract and improve working conditions for our coworkers across the museum. We will only continue to build on these wins into the future."

While Rachel Brennan, Museum Shop Sales Associate, noted, "Winning this contract feels like a huge celebration! It took so much work to get to this point, and I’m so proud of us for fighting to have a voice in our workplace. I am beyond grateful to have such amazing coworkers who know their worth and show up for each other."

 As the first museum workers in Colorado to unionize, DAMWU experienced significant pushbacks from management. But the workers held steadfast in their pursuit of a union contract, mobilizing to put pressure on management until they reached a deal. For many DAMWU members, this contract is just the beginning.

For Sean Chase, the contract represents what is possible in the future. He shared, “This has been a long time coming, and I think we are all feeling relieved to have finally ratified our first contract. We're in a much better position as workers at the DAM than we were before and feel confident that we can achieve even more with our second contract. We are the ones who keep the museum running, and we must never forget that.” 

Workers organizing with AFSCME Colorado are fighting to expand worker power, and DAMWU’s contract sets the stage for further cultural organizing in the state. Now that DAMWU has a ratified agreement, the workers of the art museum join Jefferson County Public Library, as well as the more than 50,000 other cultural workers across the country who are building a national movement to raise employment standards in the cultural sector through AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United.  At a time when cultural institutions are under attack, joining CWU means that employees at the Denver Art Museum and beyond can now fight these attacks from a position of strength, together.