AMHERST — A year after voting to unionize, part-time tour guides and educators at the Emily Dickinson Museum, who throughout the spring, summer and fall are leading visitors through the historic homes and grounds that inspired the 19th century poet, are in the midst of negotiating their first contract.
The 20 employees of the 220 Main St. museum last summer voted to form EDM-UAW Local 2110, to improve both their work conditions and pay and enhance the experience for those touring the museum. They’ve been trying to reach a deal through a negotiating committee since last October.
All of the union members work under 20 hours per week and are considered non-benefited employees of the nonprofit entity that is owned by Amherst College.
“While they are part-time seasonal workers, that doesn’t represent the commitment these staff have to the museum,” says Chelsea Farrell, an organizer with United Auto Workers Local 2110. “It’s not just casual work for these people.”
In a phone interview, Farrell said most of the employees, in fact, are accomplished in their own right, with many being writers and poets and coming from various academic fields.
“Many are scholars and tremendously dedicated individuals who bring a lot to the museum,” Farrell said.
Chris Fobare, who has been part of the bargaining committee, explained in an email the rationale for forming a union, including pay below living wage, scheduling difficulties and safety, all of which has contributed to attrition of tour guides.
“The Museum’s rapid growth over roughly the last decade, both in terms of the physical campus and its programming, created an unsustainable working environment for guides,” Fobare said.
Fobare adds that the guides play a critical role as stewards of the poet’s legacy for the 12,000 to 15,000 guests who come to the museum annually.
“We are committed professionals who write our own tours, creating a unique experience that fulfills the Museum’s mission of ensuring that Emily Dickinson’s revolutionary poetic voice continues to be shared with people throughout the world,” Fobare said. “Without fair wages, predictable scheduling,and a willingness to see guides as an important component in fulfilling its mission, we are concerned that the Museum will gradually lose talented and committed young professionals who care deeply about Emily Dickinson and her family’s legacy.”
Two of the union members have written commentaries to the Gazette about their experience and to solicit support from area residents, encouraging people to visit the museum and join those who come from across the country and around the world to experience Dickinson.
“We all seek to make each visitor’s experience memorable by bringing to life the poet, her poetry, her family and 19th century Amherst,” wrote Mary Anne Myers of South Hadley, a tour guide for three years who has seen the passion for Dickinson firsthand from her colleagues, who range in age from their 20s to their 70s.
“We are committed to our guests and to each other,” Myers wrote. “The Museum trains us well, and we continually build on that foundation through our daily conversations and shared research. We love the job, and we want to keep doing it.”
Another letter came from Burleigh Muten of Amherst, a tour guide for 12 years who has seen the part-time staff change from retirees on Social Security to those who work at the museum and other workplaces for their livelihoods.
“The shift from tapping into the plethora of retired educators in our community to hiring younger people has revealed the hard truth that most young people don’t have supplementary income or health benefits,” Muten wrote. “They juggle two and, in some cases, three jobs to make it possible to work at the Museum.”
At the same time, Muten wrote that she has observed vast improvements at the site, to both the Homestead and the Evergreens, the rebuilt Carriage House with a gift shop with a selection of Dickinson texts, and the off-site administrative offices where staff have increased.
Among the demands for a contract are better compensation, getting closer to the living wage of $24.59 per hour, more predictable schedules that can fit in with other work obligations and ensuring pay even in case of abrupt cancellation of tours or museum closings. The union also wants better protections in case of discrimination or harassment.
Farrell said the union also wants to achieve better safety procedures through having spare guides. This would mean two workers at all times, necessary in case of a medical emergency during a tour, where help can be summoned, or if a guest needs special accommodations and one-on-one attention.
Amherst College, which owns the museum and is the employer, issued a statement:
“Amherst College respects the outcome of the election, and we are committed to working collaboratively and in good faith with the union in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. Our goal remains to support a positive, respectful and mission-focused workplace for all employees.”
Farrell said that progress toward a contract is being made, but sticking points remain, though there is hope of being able to resolve those to reach a deal.
The negotiations come as workers at another cultural facility in Amherst, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, this week announced they have made an appeal to the National Labor Relations Board to schedule a vote among its 36 full- and part-time workers on forming a union.
Organization is also happening at several Boston and New York museums, as well as MASS MoCA in North Adams.
“Museum organizing is really growing in the moment,” Farrell said. “The Dickinson Museum and the Carle are part of a larger movement we’re seeing across the field.”
