We have built overwhelming support for our union on cards and filed them with the Labor Board, triggering the election where we can all Vote Yes for ourselves, for our coworkers, and for the better museum and school we want to build together.

We have big, exciting news: A majority of our coworkers, AIC and SAIC employees both, have signed union authorization cards!

136 faculty of the School of the Art Institute have signed an open letter to SAIC President Elissa Tenny expressing their support for our union and calling on “senior leadership to stop diverting resources from SAIC’s mission to pay anti-union lawyers and consultants”.

Thank you for making yesterday’s rally such a positive and successful event. Our lineup of inspiring speakers spoke to a crowd of 200 people and reminded us all why we came together in the first place: to uplift and listen to each other.

AIC/SAIC employees and allies stand together and speak out for our union! Thursday, Sept. 9 at 5:30 p.m. RSVP here!

Join us for a conversation with fellow museum activists about their union organizing experiences!

In an attempt to target and undermine us, their own employees, AIC/SAIC senior leadership has hired two costly firms to fight our choice to organize.

Strong message to museum, school: Organizing must be “free from employer interference”

At this juncture in our efforts to organize, as we’re creating the opportunity to negotiate a fair contract with management, we want to assert our belief in SAIC’s potential.

Did you know that just one month after the museum laid off 51 employees last June 2020, it reported $1.41 billion in net assets (including $480 million in unrestricted net assets), a $1.14 billion endowment and a total operating surplus of $68.5 million for the fiscal year?

You're invited to a SAIC Union Informational Meeting on Aug. 19. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Thank you to all the members of our organizing committee from across the school and museum who participated in last week’s banner drop. We could not be more proud and energized! Solidarity forever.

We had a big week! SAIC staff announced they are joining our campaign. While we will form separate bargaining units, we are happy to be working together in solidarity towards a strong voice for workers!

Register for an informational meeting and learn more about AICWU from colleagues! Open to all union-eligible museum employees.

Through the collective voice of the Art Institute of Chicago Workers United, we will advocate for an equitable, sustainable, and transparent workplace for SAIC employees at every level.

We are grateful for all the encouragement and support we have received this week from allies all over Chicago and beyond. From all of us in AICWU, thank you!

It’s been a busy week! More than 300 employees of the Art Institute of Chicago are coming together to form our union, the Art Institute of Chicago Workers United (AICWU). Read about our launch and hear from AICWU members in the news.

We have gotten numerous inquiries and thought that it would be helpful for all to publicly address some of the most common questions here. (Never fear! We’ll keep it short and sweet.)

We believe there can be no equity without power sharing; therefore, we, the undersigned—staff members from various departments and diverse roles across the institution—are uniting to form our union with AFSCME Council 31.