Collection Description:
The MOCA Union Collection contains items that tell the story of the unionizing efforts at MOCA by MOCA workers. These materials include buttons, paperwork, drafts, printed emails, paystubs, firing notices, employment terms and conditions, Iphone photos of actions, meetings, screenshots of text messages between friends and coworkers, messages about going public, graphic flyers posted on instagram, and research.

Timeline
In 1979 The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) was incorporated with the purpose of operating as a public institution.
November 22, 2019 Afscme Local 126 went public.
December 6 2019 MOCA voluntarily recognized the Union.
March 24th, 2020 MOCA laid off all 97 of the museum’s part-time employees. The other staff got furloughed soon after that.
October 2021 Negotiating Contract.
May 13, 2022 Contract ratified.
May 19, 2023 Union positions elected.

Biographical Note
Afscme Local 126 members is comprised of gallery attendants, exhibition installers, audio-visual technicians, retail and education staff. They have come together to collectively improve their working conditions.
Donors include Thayzia Ford, Janet Lee, Olivia Leiter, Daphne Lyda, and many anonymous contributors.

Scope and Content
The Afscme Local 126 collection is primarily born-digital items.
The physical items in the collection are pins, stickers, and printed PDFs.

[union member roster]

image zoom