Union workers from across the country flooded the lawn outside the Shedd Aquarium Wednesday in support of its union’s fight for a contract.
Several hundred union members, in town for the national conference of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, chanted and cheered as speakers riled up the crowd demanding Shedd management agree to a contract with better pay and benefits for the Shedd Workers United union.
Shedd workers moved to form a union in 2024 as part of a larger trend of workers at some of Chicago’s most iconic cultural institutions doing the same.
Several speakers referenced the fight to be recognized as a union, saying they’ve been fighting for their rights as workers for years as the Shedd has invested in “union busting lawyers” instead of fair wages for union members.
Union members wore bright green AFSCME shirts and held signs reading “solidarity” and “union power” as chants pulsed through the crowd against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan.
Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME national and Shedd workers, said Shedd’s proposals were insulting.
“They said no, they didn’t want to give you wage increases,” Saunders said. “They didn’t want to give you what you’re due.”
Some elected officials, including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and State Representative La Shawn Ford and several aldermen, attended the rally in support of Shedd workers.
Shedd officials are committed to bargaining in good faith, spokesperson Kayley Galassini said in a statement in response to the rally.
“The parties have made significant progress at the bargaining table, reaching agreement on all non-economic issues before recently beginning negotiations on economic proposals,” she said. “Those discussions are progressing, and we remain focused on continuing that productive work at the bargaining table, where we believe these important conversations are best resolved.”
But the economic proposals are where the most issues arise, according to Kirby Garcia, a Shedd worker and union organizer who spoke at the rally. On average, Shedd workers are paid around 20% less than their peers at other cultural institutions, Garcia said.
“Many of us are struggling,” he said. “Most of us can’t afford to buy a house, most of us can’t afford to raise kids. And they tell us that we should be happy with this? No.”
He criticized proposals for hourly wages of $17.50 and omitting yearly raises in exchange for merit increases for select employees, which he said are “so low they wouldn’t even cover inflation.”
Shedd worker Nasr bin Safwan took time on the stage to express support for workers at the Art Institute of Chicago, another cultural institution whose union has gained traction in recent years.
“It’s up to us to keep making noise,” he said. “Submit a complaint, write your reviews. When the higher ups don’t have our backs, who does?”