Please Touch Museum United

Philly Cultural Workers United, Local 397

Please Touch Museum staff started organizing in late summer, 2022. Tension was building between management and staff over low wages and constant overwork. On January 26, 2023, we announced our intention to unionize as Please Touch Museum United with Local 397 and asked PTM management for voluntary recognition. Instead, it took hearings with the NLRB and Philadelphia City Council urging PTM management to recognize the staff's desire to unionize before PTMU was finally able to hold our union election. This was not the first time workers attempted to unionize PTM, but it was the first time workers succeeded. On March 25, 2023, PTMU officially became a recognized union, winning with 85% of the vote.

After almost a year and a half of bargaining, scheduling conflicts, and changes to the bargaining team on both sides of the table, Please Touch Museum United ratified our first contract on November 24, 2024.

What We Won

Our Collective Bargaining Agreement grants substantial pay increases, improvements to benefits and leave time, and new rights and protections for everyone in the bargaining unit. Among the victories are:

  • New Minimum Pay Rates. A 13.3% increase for the lowest bargaining unit pay and an 8 - 11% increase for all other positions

  • Across the Board Raises. Guaranteed annual raises totaling 11% over the life of the contract.

  • Longevity Pay Raises. Additional raises to reward staff longevity at 3, 5, 10, and 15 years of service.

  • Improved Benefits. A reduction in health insurance costs; 4 weeks of paid parental leave; up to 40 hours of rollover sick and vacation time.

  • Career Pathways. Hiring preference for internal candidates for open bargaining unit positions.

‍ ‍

In the Press