Workers at the Chicago History Museum ratified their first union contract on August 25, 2026, closing a chapter that included federal labor law violations, four employee firings, and a formal complaint from the National Labor Relations Board against the Lincoln Park museum’s former leadership. The contract, approved by 96% of union members, comes amid a broader wave of cultural worker organizing that has reshaped labor relations across Chicago’s museum and library landscape.
Key Takeaways
- Chicago History Museum employees ratified their first union contract on August 25, 2026, with 96% of members voting in favor.
- The contract includes across-the-board pay increases and improved paid leave for all employees represented by the bargaining unit.
- The National Labor Relations Board filed a formal complaint in May 2026 alleging that museum management under former president Donald Lassere retaliated against employees who voted to unionize in 2025, including firing four workers.
- Lassere exited the role in January 2026 after nearly five years as president. New president Michael J. Anderson, named in July, extended offers to all four ousted employees to return.
- The Chicago History Museum joins the Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Shedd Aquarium, Newberry Library, Adler Planetarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry in organizing with AFSCME Council 31.
- AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United campaign now represents 50,000 cultural workers nationwide, with 2,500 in Illinois alone.
The NLRB Complaint Alleged Firings, Discipline, and Threats
The path to ratification was defined by conflict. Chicago History Museum employees voted to unionize in February 2025, joining the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31. Shortly after the vote, four employees were fired. Others were disciplined or threatened with termination, according to the NLRB’s findings. The board determined that these actions constituted violations of federal labor law and that management had retaliated against staff for exercising their right to organize.
In May 2026, the NLRB issued a rare formal complaint against the museum, a step the board takes only after its own investigation finds merit to the underlying charges. The complaint named actions taken under former president Donald Lassere, who had led the museum for nearly five years. Lassere exited the position in January 2026. The museum has not publicly detailed the circumstances of his departure beyond confirming the leadership change.
AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch described the situation at the Chicago History Museum as “some of the worst anti-union retaliation we’ve seen.” Lynch said the workers’ decision to hold together through the firings, discipline, and federal complaint demonstrated a level of resolve that influenced the broader cultural organizing movement in Chicago. “Facing some of the worst anti-union retaliation we’ve seen, they stood strong together and prevailed,” Lynch said in a statement accompanying the ratification announcement.
New Museum Leadership Signals a Reset
The museum’s labor relations shifted after Lassere’s departure. In July 2026, the Chicago History Museum named Michael J. Anderson as Lassere’s successor. Anderson moved to settle the NLRB complaint by extending offers to all four fired employees to return to the museum. He also publicly committed to negotiating in good faith with the union, a marked change in tone from the prior administration.
Anderson framed the contract ratification as a turning point for the institution. In a statement released on August 25, Anderson said reaching the agreement marked “an important step forward for the museum and our staff.” He described a commitment to building a working relationship with the union “grounded in mutual respect, collaboration, and open communication” and said the institution’s shared focus would remain on supporting staff, serving visitors and communities, and advancing the museum’s mission of preserving and sharing Chicago’s stories.
The contract itself includes across-the-board pay increases and improved paid leave provisions for all employees in the bargaining unit. Specific salary figures and leave details were not disclosed publicly as of the announcement date.
Chicago’s Cultural Unionization Wave Has Reshaped the Sector
The Chicago History Museum contract is not an isolated event. It is the latest in a sequence of unionization victories at Chicago cultural institutions that began in earnest in 2021 and has since expanded to include many of the city’s most prominent museums, libraries, and science centers.
The Art Institute of Chicago was the local tipping point. Workers there voted to unionize with AFSCME in early 2022 and ratified their first contract in 2023. That effort inspired organizing at the Field Museum, where collections specialist Melissa Anderson, a 20-year employee, later cited the Art Institute’s campaign as a morale driver during the Field Museum’s own unionization push. The Field Museum staff organized in 2023.
Since then, workers at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Newberry Library, and most recently the Adler Planetarium have all voted to join AFSCME Council 31. The Adler vote, completed in late 2025, brought 70 planetarium workers into the union. Separately, staff at the Chicago Botanic Garden organized under the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United.
Nationally, AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United campaign, launched in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic forced mass layoffs and furloughs at museums and cultural venues, now represents 50,000 workers at museums, libraries, zoos, and other cultural institutions across the country. In Illinois alone, 2,500 cultural workers have formed unions through the campaign. The organizing has not been limited to Chicago. Library workers in suburban Niles-Maine, Oak Lawn, St. Charles, and Waukegan have also joined AFSCME since 2020, a sector that saw no suburban library unions in the state as recently as 2019.
The Broader Context for Cultural Workers in Chicago
The unionization wave has unfolded against a backdrop of financial pressure on cultural institutions. Federal funding for museums, libraries, and other cultural organizations has faced scrutiny at the national level. At the same time, the pandemic exposed long-standing issues in the cultural sector, including low wages relative to cost of living, limited benefits, and a reliance on mission-driven passion to justify below-market compensation.
Workers across Chicago’s institutions have consistently pointed to similar concerns. Pay that did not keep pace with inflation, limited job security, unpredictable scheduling, and a perception that management undervalued frontline staff were common themes in organizing campaigns from the Art Institute to the Adler Planetarium. The Art Institute’s recent decision to outsource custodial staff drew additional scrutiny from its unionized workforce, with employees describing the move as an attempt to reduce the bargaining unit.
The Museum of Science and Industry ratified its own first contract earlier in August 2026, securing an average 8% pay increase for union members and raising the starting wage floor to $18 per hour. That contract established a template that the Chicago History Museum agreement builds on, reinforcing the pattern of institution-by-institution contract ratification that has characterized Chicago’s cultural union movement.
What the Contract Means for the Chicago History Museum
The Chicago History Museum, located at 1601 N. Clark Street in Lincoln Park, sees approximately 150,000 visitors annually. The institution houses collections tied to Chicago’s history, including an extensive costume archive. This fall, the museum will launch “Threads of a Nation: Preserving Presidential Clothing,” an exhibition featuring garments worn by former presidents George Washington, John Adams, and Abraham Lincoln.
With a ratified contract now in place and new leadership publicly committed to a collaborative relationship with the union, the museum enters its next chapter with a different labor framework than the one that defined the Lassere era. For the workers who organized, weathered the firings, and waited through the NLRB process, the contract represents both a resolution and a precedent. For the broader cultural sector in Chicago, it reinforces a pattern that has become clear: the wave is not slowing down.
FAQs
Which Union Represents Chicago History Museum Workers?
Employees are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the same union that represents cultural workers at the Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Contemporary Art, and other Chicago institutions.
What Did the NLRB Find at the Chicago History Museum?
The National Labor Relations Board filed a formal complaint in May 2026 alleging that museum management under former president Donald Lassere retaliated against employees who voted to unionize in 2025. The retaliation included firing four workers and disciplining or threatening others.
Who Is the New President of the Chicago History Museum?
Michael J. Anderson was named president in July 2026. Anderson extended return offers to the four fired employees as part of settling the NLRB complaint and committed to negotiating in good faith with the union.
How Many Chicago Cultural Institutions Have Unionized?
Since 2021, workers at the Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Newberry Library, Adler Planetarium, Chicago History Museum, and the Chicago Botanic Garden have all organized. AFSCME Council 31 alone represents 2,500 cultural workers in Illinois.
