“At-will” = No job security.

“At-will” employees can be let go at any time for any reason or no reason, without recourse for unfair situations. Employers are not required to provide severance pay or notice for layoffs, and can change the terms of employment (wages, benefits) at any time, with no notice or consequences.

Job security and protections.

Employees cannot be disciplined or terminated without just cause. Contracts can include language requiring advance notice, severance pay, and order of seniority in the case of economic layoffs.

• Union members at all 1021-represented museums secured a progressive discipline process, union representation and support in disciplinary situations, and a grievance procedure to address contract violations.
• Union members at the Exploratorium secured between 2-12 weeks of severance pay, recall rights, and a minimum of 30 days’ notice should layoffs become necessary.

No guarantees. No transparency.

It’s up to senior leadership. They can make promises, but without a legally binding contract, pay and benefits can be raised or cut arbitrarily. Lack of a clear wage scale and schedule for raises often leads to inequities.

Negotiated pay and benefits.

Union contracts typically include regular, predictable raises based on length of service (“steps”) and cost-of-living adjustments. Medical and retirement, paid time off, and other benefits are also negotiated.

• At the Asian Art Museum, members won a 16% pay increase over 4 years and 12 paid holidays per year.
• Union members at the Exploratorium negotiated between 20–30 vacation days based on length of employment.
• At the de Young, union members secured a 7% employer retirement match after 5 years of employment and longevity pay after 10 years.

Unilateral decision-making.

Staff is not part of the decision-making process. There is no mutually agreed upon way to address concerns or determine priorities which affect working conditions.

Mechanisms for shared decision-making, transparency.

Employees have a say in their working conditions. Having a union increases transparency, collective advocacy, and the ability to work together with management to address challenges in a meaningful way.

• At the Exploratorium, the union contract requires the employer to meet and confer over changes to working conditions and decisions that could significantly impact workers.
• Union members at all 1021-represented museums have negotiated grievance procedures for addressing individual grievances and labor-management committees for addressing workplace issues affecting groups of workers.