The largest art museum in the United States now has a unionized workforce. Staff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art voted to organize with UAW Local 2110, with the National Labor Relations Board tally — announced Friday, January 16, 2026 — coming in at 542 votes in favor and 172 against, roughly a 76% margin. The result, confirmed by both the UAW and The Art Newspaper, caps an organizing drive that began with an NLRB petition filed in November.
The vote
The election was held January 13 and 15, 2026. Beyond the 542–172 tally, about 100 additional ballots remain sealed: the museum challenged them, objecting to the inclusion of those staff in the bargaining unit. Their eligibility will be resolved through a mutually agreed arbitration process once the NLRB certifies the union — meaning the final size of the unit is not yet fixed, though the outcome of the vote itself is not in doubt.
Who is in the union
The new union covers workers across more than 50 departments at the museum, including conservators, curators, librarians, archivists, and digital and information-technology staff. That breadth makes it one of the larger cultural-sector bargaining units in the city and folds the Met into a roster of New York art institutions already represented by Local 2110.
Part of a wave
UAW Local 2110 has organized a growing list of museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the New Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Jewish Museum and the Hispanic Society Museum and Library. The local has recently settled contracts at several of them. The sector has also seen friction: in April 2025, Local 2110 members rallied outside the Guggenheim over the abrupt layoffs of 20 staffers, the museum’s third round of cuts in five years.
Why it matters
The Met is the marquee institution in American museums, and a 76% union vote there signals how far cultural-sector organizing has spread since the early 2020s. The immediate work now shifts to certification, the arbitration over challenged ballots, and eventually contract negotiations over pay, job security and working conditions for a workforce that keeps one of the world’s most-visited museums running. The vote settles the question of whether Met workers will bargain collectively; what they win is the next fight.
Verification
- Vote tally (542–172, ~76%), election dates (January 13 and 15, 2026), November NLRB petition, ~100 challenged ballots, and the 50-plus departments covered — UAW: https://uaw.org/staff-of-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-vote-to-unionize/
- Independent confirmation of the vote and union (UAW Local 2110) — The Art Newspaper, January 19, 2026: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/01/19/metropolitan-museum-workers-vote-unionise-united-auto-workers
- Local 2110’s roster of unionized museums and the April 2025 Guggenheim layoff protest (20 staffers) — UAW Local 2110 / NYC CLC: https://nycclc.org/news/workers-protest-abrupt-layoffs-guggenheim-museum
Frequently Asked Questions
- What did Met staff vote on?
- Whether to form a union with UAW Local 2110. In a National Labor Relations Board election held January 13 and 15, 2026, they voted 542 to 172 in favor — about 76%.
- Who is covered by the new union?
- Staff from more than 50 departments, including conservators, curators, librarians, archivists, and digital and information-technology workers.
- Why are about 100 ballots still uncounted?
- The museum challenged roughly 100 ballots, objecting to including those staff in the unit. Their eligibility will be settled through arbitration after the NLRB certifies the union.
- What union is this?
- UAW Local 2110, which already represents workers at MoMA, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the New Museum, the Brooklyn Museum and other cultural institutions.