Union staff at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and the museum have reached a tentative agreement as a strike date looms less than two weeks ahead, according to a joint statement from the union and museum.
“After a long but productive bargaining session on Monday, Nov. 17, union and management representatives reached a tentative agreement on a first union contract at Griffin Museum of Science & Industry,” the statement said. “In the coming days, union members will attend worksite meetings to review terms of the tentative agreement and vote on its ratification.”
In a separate statement, the museum said: “We are encouraged to have reached a tentative agreement that supports our employees while sustaining the museum’s long-term health and our ability to inspire generations of Chicagoans for decades to come.”
A timeline for when the vote would take place wasn’t immediately available, according to union representatives.
The union — which represents more than 120 employees in the guest experience, guest operations and education departments — voted in September to authorize a strike set to start Nov. 29. It came more than two years after the union formed and began negotiating its first contract with the Hyde Park museum.
The museum employees — represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — are seeking a raise in wages and better benefits. The museum does not offer holiday pay for part-time workers, no premium pay is available for bilingual employees, and employees do not receive paid parental leave, according to the union.