Petition to Art Institute of Chicago Leadership: Give Our Custodians Their Jobs Back
Nick Matthopoulos, AIC Employee
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Elizabeth Morris, AIC Employee
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Isabel Waring, AIC Employee
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Dr. Kirsten Lopez, Community Member
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Elio Canale-Parola, AIC Employee
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Leslie Wilson, AIC Employee
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Ricky Del Rosario, AIC Employee
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Danny Floyd, SAIC Employee
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Gwendolyn M Wiegold, Former AIC Employee
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Myia Brown, SAIC Employee
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Gabriela “Gaby” Trinidad Pérez, AIC Employee
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Mark Pascale, AIC Employee
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Nick Matthopoulos, AIC Employee ☀ Elizabeth Morris, AIC Employee ☀ Isabel Waring, AIC Employee ☀ Dr. Kirsten Lopez, Community Member ☀ Elio Canale-Parola, AIC Employee ☀ Leslie Wilson, AIC Employee ☀ Ricky Del Rosario, AIC Employee ☀ Danny Floyd, SAIC Employee ☀ Gwendolyn M Wiegold, Former AIC Employee ☀ Myia Brown, SAIC Employee ☀ Gabriela “Gaby” Trinidad Pérez, AIC Employee ☀ Mark Pascale, AIC Employee ☀
On June 29, 2026, custodians at the Art Institute of Chicago were shocked to learn that museum leadership had decided unilaterally to terminate their positions on August 14, 2026, and subcontract their jobs to a private, for-profit company.
We, the undersigned staff at the Art Institute and members of the community, are firmly opposed to this decision. The choice to terminate these employees—including twenty-three members of AFSCME Local 37, the Art Institute of Chicago Workers United Museum Employees bargaining unit—is a devastating and unconscionable injustice. Several of these staff members have worked at the Art Institute for more than two decades; all of them carry out indispensable, difficult work for the institution, our staff, and our visitors.
This decision will result in reduced benefits for the custodial team, a loss of hard-earned Paid Time Off, and the elimination of seniority privileges. It also strips them of vital Art Institute benefits, including access to higher education for themselves and their families through tuition remission and tuition exchanges, museum admission across Chicago, and eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs. Beyond the financial impact, this decision inflicts a severe mental and emotional toll and destroys workplace trust.
Our lawyers at our parent union, AFSCME, have filed an information request and a grievance about the timing of this decision, which is a violation of our contract.
We are demanding to bargain the effects of this decision with management.
Our call to the museum is simple: Give our custodians their jobs back.
Supporter Voices
“I’m truly devastated by this decision. I’ve given this employer the last 20 plus years of my life - with hard work and dedication. It is truly unfair to expect staff to start from zero after dedicating the decades to the Museum. Please think about how it’s affecting the custodial staff as a whole, and please think of the many challenges they’ll face alongside their families. My hope is to keep our employment through the Museum, and keep our great partnership blooming.
All in all, our hearts hold hope that the Museum will respect our employment and not follow through with this insensitive change.”
Marco Velazquez, Custodian, AIC (22 years)
“I have no words for this unprofessional action against so many lifestyles.”
Ephraim Mitchell, Custodian, AIC
“Esta acción por parte del instituto es injusta. En especial en mi situación tengo 20+ años laborando con dedicación para de la noche de la mañana me despidan y sin ninguna remuneración ni derecho de compensación. La posición alterna que nos ofrecen es por debajo de mi salario y sin ningúna prestación.”
This action by the institute is unfair. It is particularly unjust in my case, given that I have worked with dedication for over 20 years, only to be fired overnight without any remuneration or right to compensation. The alternative position they are offering comes with a lower salary and no benefits.
Martha Castro, Custodian, AIC (20+ years)
“Me siento muy mal por la echada que no es dio el instituto a todos Housekeeping no es bueno que no vienen echado así como si no hubiéramos trabajado por más de 20 años sirviéndole al instituto.”
I feel terrible about the way the Art Institute let all of us in Housekeeping go; it isn’t right to be dismissed like that, as if we hadn’t spent over 20 years serving the Art Institute.
Alberto Montoya, Custodian, AIC (21 years)
“I got hired June 22nd, 2026, full time position, to be a Custodian for the Art Institute of Chicago. I was thrilled because I had been excited at the prospect of the Tuition Remission offered to AIC employees as I had been planning on going back to school. A WEEK LATER of being hired, on June 30th, 2026, I got an email from leadership addressing the entire Custodial Team, informing us that our position as employees of the Art Institute of Chicago would be terminated [. . .] The way I’m losing all the benefits of AIC employees, including what I had originally been very interested in pursuing, the Tuition Remission benefits, is a great disappointment to me. But I am more especially disturbed by the manner in which this has been presented to us, the Custodial Team, out of nowhere and with absolutely zero considerations to the great men and women whom I’ve had the pleasure to get to know, in this short time I’ve been freshly employed alongside, many of who have devoted most of their LIVES to the Art Institute of Chicago and who have spent DECADES keeping the space functional and running for the rest of the AIC staff and the public of the great city of Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago is considered one of the best art museums in the country and the Custodian Team of the AIC are the people who are truly what allow it to be standing and open still. The way this has been so flippantly presented by the leadership of the Art Institute of Chicago to us Custodians is just deplorable and shameful. The lives of these great people who I’ve gotten to know and have worked alongside in the Custodial team are being affected WAY more harshly due to how they’d be affected and what they’d personally be losing as long-standing members of the AIC Custodial Team. I am absolutely aghast at this decision made by Leadership in the Art Institute of Chicago. And I ask and petition to the entirety of the Art Institute of Chicago leadership and especially all who are directly involved in the decision to reinstate us as AIC employees.”
Sonia P-Sanchez, Custodian, AIC
“The custodians who have been there 20 years plus deserve better. They deserve the benefits of the Art Institute.”
Ricky D. Pruitt, Painter, AIC
“Es cruel quitar a gente su trabajo digno.”
It is cruel to take away people’s dignified work.
Lucia Calderon Arrieta, Educator, Student Experiences, AIC
“It is shocking that the museum admin elected to terminate the custodians without a clear reason or path for them to keep their jobs. Shame on the museum.”
Mark Pascale, Curator, AIC
“I work closely with trusted custodial staff to make museum spaces run smoothly and safely. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and dedicated. They work very hard and many have been loyal and stable figures in the museum amidst growth, the pandemic and other transitions. Please show all of us staff that the institution can be trusted to take care of its employees and reverse this decision.”
Dr. Karen Reyes, Director of Volunteers and Operations, RLC, AIC
“The custodial staff keep our museum running. They are essential colleagues and they deserve better treatment than this.”
Nancy Chen, Associate Director, Gallery Activation, AIC
“The housekeeping staff are some of the hardest working and friendliest people in the building. Save money elsewhere.”
J Thomas de la Torre, Glasser and Rosenthal Family Archivist, AIC
“These staff members help the museum function so well and do their part towards creating a highly productive and caring community.”
Paul Jones, Associate Director of Communications, AIC
“Would it not be easier for upper management to stick with people you’d only have to train once, rather than a rotating door of contractors you’d have to train and retrain every time they are replaced?”
Rachel Seon, Visitor Engagement, AIC
“If the Art Institute is the premiere place for Chicago culture, then it's only right that the staff are treated with respect and valued for their service! Workers should not be treated as disposable, and those of us making barely above minimum wage should not have to bear the brunt of whatever budget problems the museum is facing. Firing then rehiring the same staff to do the same work, with less benefits and less protections, is exploitation.”
Maggie Quigley, Visitor Engagement Rep, AIC
“Our custodians are essential to making this museum run; outsourcing their labor not only impacts their lives directly, but also replaces dedicated, caring, and experienced workers with workers who have no relationship to or investment in the success of our museum. Custodian and curator share not only their etymology in CARE, but also their centrality to the function of our museum: to collect, care for, and interpret works of art, sharing our collection with the city and the world. Support our custodians!”
Thomas Huston, Specialist, Architecture and Design, AIC
“Our custodial team is part of our team, working with so much care and collegiality every day.”
Leslie Wilson, Academic Curator and Director of Research Programs, AIC
“Outrageous, and consistent with the unjust and inhuman wave across this country targeting the most vulnerable and hardest-working members of our community. Valuing ‘the bottom line’ over basic decency and fairness is unbefitting a ‘world-class’ museum. Shame on you.”
Mary Patten, Professor Emeritus, SAIC
“To treat the workers who keep the every front facing part of the institution clean and maintained along with all of the behind the scenes work they do throughout the museum every day is SHAMEFUL.”
Matt Alicea, Arts of Asia specialist and technician, AIC
“As a former staff member of AIC, a current union staffer with AFSCME - Cultural Workers United, and a Chicago resident who loves the museum and the people who work there, I am appalled to hear of this decision by AIC management. [. . .] Although I had been planning to pay a visit to the museum soon, I will not be doing so unless/until this terrible situation is resolved.”
Gwendolyn M Wiegold, member of the community
“SAIC MFA class of 1994 and long time AIC member - The Art Institute is one of my long term homes in Chicago, and union busting does NOT jive well with its purpose or mission. If the AIC wants to nurture a community of members, it has to nurture its community of employees. Treat your people well!”
David Wells, teacher, member of the community
“This is more poor decision making by AIC that reflects poorly on leadership. [. . .] Custodians hold valuable knowledge; the example of The Cowboy Museum’s viral head of security Tim Tiller’s videos during lockdown immediately comes to mind.The reputation of SAIC and AIC is swiftly becoming a toxic one in the local community and word is spreading in the art world. Damage is being done. You have a chance to change that here. Do better. Treat your people like they matter.”
Amanda Barr, Assistant Professor of Art
“I left the Art Institute almost two years ago because of how non-curatorial staff are treated by senior management. Please prove me wrong.”
Amy Robin Hoffman, former AIC employee
“‘Optimization’ at the expense of community is not a sound fiscal policy.”
Elena Ailes, Associate Professor, Adjunct, SAIC
“I have valued the way that AIC has given many workers an opportunity to make a living for years, my uncle being one of them. This contradicts what AIC is ‘allegedly’ moving towards, creating an environment and opportunities for black and brown citizens. Firing workers who may come from low income communities is hypocritical of the work museum education and programming serves. I have worked as an intern at AIC and earned my BFAAE at SAIC. People who look like me deserve employment and opportunities to show our greatness. These actions make me hesitant to recommend such an institution for employment and even touring/supporting.”
Jennifer Itzel Velazquez, CPS Visual Arts Teacher
“I was extremely disappointed to learn of the intentions of the Art Institute to terminate the custodial staff at the museum. I have loved visiting the Art Institute and feel they are a staple in the community for culture and access to art. The institute's values cite collective humanity and respect for each colleague's contribution to the work of preserving and making art available. This action flies in the face of these values and paints the museum in a really bad light.”
Alan Abbott, Former member, current fan, member of the community
“Custodian working conditions are staff working conditions, and impact the experience of patrons like myself. I love coming to the Art Institute because of the care custodial staff put into keeping galleries and bathrooms clean and maintained. If AIC does not bargain in good faith with AICWU, I will reevaluate how frequently I visit the museum.”
Elena Gormley, member of the community
“I am a library worker and member of AFSCME Local 1215. This outsourcing [. . .] will result in more turnover, and when custodial workers are not consistently at a location specific cleaning needs often get missed, resulting in dirtier and less hygienic spaces. This also happens in libraries. CPL has several partnerships with AIC for summer programming, including at my location, and I am ashamed that our partner is disinvesting from workers.”
Alenka Figa, member of the community
“I would like to stay with the museum because I’ve been with the museum for a long time. I’ve been here since 2001 and haven’t had anything besides the museum. I’ve been here my whole life, fresh after college. I’m used to the people throughout the museum. The workload doesn’t bother me too much, I like working! Even now I’m kind of running around and do my emails. I like working with the people who are here. I am on the museum pension plan and have a lot of PTO because I’ve been here for a long time. But I don’t worry too much about the benefits if I go to GDI - I did start the GDI process because no matter what, I want to stay at the museum. That said, my choice would be to stay on staff at the museum. I even looked at other jobs at the museum but didn’t see any that looked like the right fit for me at this time. I’m mad that we were told at the last minute!”
Custodian requesting to remain anonymous, AIC (25 years)
“I want to stay at AIC and not go to GDI. One reason is because this is my last job. I already come to work and know everything about it. All the benefits we have, everything is changing. Everything is confusing for me. I’m lost and I don’t know what to do. All my plans are broke out and I’m not happy with that decision because I don’t see any reason to do this. It feels like leadership is retaliating against us because we signed the petition for Megan Wardynski. Bosses retaliate against us all the time whenever we defend ourselves. Management doesn’t have the capacity to lead because they don’t know how to lead well and they complain a lot about good workers. I have been working here for ten years and I want to stay until I decide to go, when I’m ready to go. Not like this.”
Pabla Martinez, Custodian, AIC (10 years)
“I want to stay as part of the AIC staff and do not want to go to GDI, but if I have to, I will. Not happy with that. I feel it’s unfair. I’ve been here for a while and I went through my 90 days and was established and now I’m un-established. I’m back at the beginning, starting all over with something new. I’ve been at AIC since 2014. Why would I leave? Why would I want to leave? I’m 67 years old and I’m tired of starting over AGAIN!”
Deena Davenport, Custodian, AIC
“I want to stay as part of the AIC staff and do not want to go to GDI. I have more knowledge and experience being part of AIC staff and am more comfortable here. I don’t want to lose AIC benefits. Although I will retire in September, I want to finish with AIC, right here. When I came to the museum in July 2017, I expected to stay here and not be under new management. I love to help and train housekeepers when they first come to the museum; I always make sure they do their job well. Everyone likes the way I clean up. I WANT TO STAY!”
Custodian requesting to remain anonymous, AIC
“Como parte del equipo de limpieza y principalmente afectada por esta decisión, quiero expresar que ha sido totalmente injusta esta decisión que han tomando, no tan solo por mi, si no por todo el personal de limpieza, creo que han faltado a nuestros derechos como trabajadores sin importar el tiempo y dedicación que aportamos a este importante distinguido lugar como lo es el instituto de arte de chicago. Estoy totalmente indignada ya que de un día para otro y sin información precisa de esta situación nos han despedido, quiero mencionar también que no solo soy yo la persona afectada con esto, si no que también destras de mí hay una familia que depende de mí.”
As a member of the cleaning staff and someone directly affected by this decision, I want to express that the action taken is completely unfair—not only to me but to the entire cleaning team. I believe our rights as workers have been disregarded, with no regard for the time and dedication we have contributed to such an important and distinguished institution as the Art Institute of Chicago. I am absolutely outraged; we were let go overnight without any clear information regarding the situation. I also want to point out that I am not the only one affected; there is a family behind me that depends on me.
Tania Huerta Cuevas, Custodian, AIC (4 years)
“Our custodial colleagues are essential to museum operations and deserve support -- please reconsider this decision!”
Taylor Healy, Assistant Conservator, AIC
“The Research Center loves and supports our custodial staff!”
Elio Canale-Parola, Rice Curatorial Fellow in Archives, AIC
“These are wonderful, hard-working people who deserve better!”
Lisa Ackerman, Conservation and Science, AIC
“This is a clear violation of our contract and our hardworking housekeeping staff deserve better.”
Mel Agarie, Coordinator, Engagement Programs
“Our custodians are the backbone of the museum. They know everybody. They know all the artworks. They know all the shows, special events, and department work. They bring together each one of us through hard work, special care, and community.”
Gabriela “Gaby” Trinidad Pérez, Project Coordinator, AIC
“Our custodial workers are a crucial part of our team and functioning at the museum. Many of them have been here for many, many years and have put in an immense amount of labor to keep this museum running. Offering the potential to be hired back on by the outside company with no guarantee of the position being given back to them or of equal benefits is not enough.”
Sierra Tillman, Assistant Director, External Special Events, AIC
“The custodial staff at the museum works extraordinarily hard and should keep their positions and benefits that come with it.”
Pamela Granda, Museum Educator, AIC
“This is a despicable thing to do to loyal staff members.”
Cheryl Arvio, Catalog and Records Associate, AIC
“If this stands, who's next?”
Benjamin Javellana, Manager of Art Storage, AIC
“I fully support retaining the custodial staff at the Art Institute and oppose outsourcing.”
Mardy Sears, Senior Conservation Technician - Paper Conservation, AIC
“Within the library, having the same custodial team has helped keep our department up to collection storage standards. Terminating their positions for a rotating, outsourced staff will be extremely disruptive and puts the museum's collection, especially the library collection, at risk. How are we stewards of art and library collections with a staff we would not know and can not expect at the same consistent level of care as our current custodial team. The custodial staff are a vital part of the museum and deserve to stay within their employment positions.”
Marissa Ramirez, Ryerson Library, AIC
“As a current AIC member, I am disgusted by this decision by management. I want to go to a museum where all the staff is treated with respect and paid a wage that allows them to live a dignified life. How this is resolved will impact my decision to renew or not when my membership is up. Give the custodians their jobs back!”
Sarah Hegge, member of the community
“This can only end with AIC looking like bad actors.”
Tedd Neenan, Lecturer, member of the community
“As an alumni, I am against the sub-contracting of such a vital service to the community.”
Jeremy Scidmore, Assistant Professor
“An injury to one is an injury to all. Solidarity forever.”
Louis Packard, CTA Track Worker, member of the community
“I am a long time member of the Art Institute. It is the one museum membership I renew every year. I urge you to retain your cleaning staff and provide quality jobs for our community members. I would rather pay a hire membership rate if it meant you would pass the cost onto retaining your unionized cleaning staff.”
Emily Twarog, Professor, member of the community
“[ . . .] The impact of terminating their jobs would have a devastating effect on the lives of these AIC employees, especially those who have worked at the museum for many years. I would seriously question whether I'd want to renew my AIC membership for another year if the museum were to treat its employees this heartlessly.”
MaryAnne Lyons, member of the community
“This is outrageous. Custodial staff are some of AIC’s longest-serving, hardest working employees. They are also friends and members of the community the institution claims to serve. I am disgusted, but not surprised, by the lack of regard for the people that have made the museum a welcoming space and one of the top cultural destinations in the city.”
Mary Broadway, former AIC employee
“I’m a member of the art institute of Chicago, and have been for years. Janitors deserve dignity and respect for their hard work. Not low pay, unreliable scheduling, and a work structure not run by the museum- leaving them out of the loop and disposable.”
Sara Heymann, member of the community
“If this decision stands it will be such a loss for the community and AIC as a whole. These hard working individuals have provided a great service for many years. The custodial team has worked alongside the public, AIC staff members, interns, contractors and more. Please reconsider.”
Atlas Babcock, Museum Educator, former AIC employee
“I’m a member and I’m disturbed the museum would choose this option. It definitely makes me think twice about renewing my membership.”
Anjali Bidani, member of the community
“During my four years as an Art Institute employee, the custodial staff were some of the kindest and most knowledgeable staff at the museum, always helping visitors navigate the museum or point them in the right direction when asked. Their role as custodians isn’t easy or glamorous, yet they always do it with diligence to ensure a positive museum experience for all. Their years, sometimes decades, of hard work and loyalty should mean A LOT to museum leadership, but the move to contract their roles to a private company will prove otherwise. I encourage leadership to reconsider this decision.”
Daisy Ruiz, former AIC employee
“I love the Art Institute and go often, but I will not be buying any tickets in the future unless this ridiculous act of union-busting is rescinded.”
Jack Walsh, software engineer