Page 23 - Studio International - December 1973

is not only sad for the museum and its staff, collective experience and expertise of 170 person for every four professionals. Attempts
it is really the most catastrophic warning to the people working in all areas of the Museum's to further increase this ratio can only be read as
next generations which I am trying to form, operation. It should be noted that most union-busting.
telling them: STAY AWAY FROM THE Trustees' principal occupations lie outside the Proposals for a compromise on this issue
MUSEUM FIELD ! Museum and that the average age of a Board were discussed throughout pre-strike
`I just wanted to bring this to your attention member is 6o. Moreover, the Museum's negotiations. On the eve of the strike, however,
because I thought you might need my students Director is answerable to the Board and serves management announced to the staff that this
some day.' at the Board's pleasure (as several previous issue was not subject to compromise and that
It is public knowledge that the Museum Directors have discovered). The voice of the the disputed titles constituted the sole impasse
operates at a substantial deficit. At issue is staff could speak with more independence than in the negotiations. The strategy of this
whether the professional staff should continue that of high administration officials who have to announcement was obvious : if management
to subsidize the Museum's operation by consider the security of their positions, and could convince 'lower echelon' staff that they
accepting substandard salaries. By refusing to with more knowledge of the actual workings of would be striking only for the benefit of a few
do so any longer, the staff is placing the the Museum than absentee Trustees. Does it senior and more highly paid titles, then
responsibility for sound fiscal management really serve the best interests of the Museum to support for a strike would weaken. The
where it belongs - with the 40-member Board insulate its Board from the staff and to transparency of this tactic only strengthened the
of Trustees, which includes some of the perpetuate the 'private club' image of the resolve of the union.
wealthiest individuals in the United States, Board ? Further concessions on this issue have been
and with the Museum's administrators. The made by PASTA/MOMA during the strike,
Museum must redouble its efforts to obtain The issues: disputed titles but management has continued its
substantial subsidies from those sources which PASTA/MOMA's constitution excludes from intransigence in spite of the fact that
should properly support the institution - the city, membership in the organization, on the ground compromise is the essence of collective
state and federal governments. Under the of possible conflict of interest, the Director of bargaining. By remaining inflexible on this
1973-74 Expense Budget, the Metropolitan the Museum, the Director of Adminstration, issue, management is still gambling that 'lower'
Museum of Art received over $5 million from all Departmental Directors, the Controller, the staff will become disenchanted with the strike
New York City's cultural budget, enough to Assistant Treasurer and the Assistant and that the union can ultimately be weakened
wipe out the Modern's deficit several times Secretary to the Trustees. At the time of by the loss of certain senior members.
over. The question is not whether MOMA will certification, the National Labour Relations Unfortunately, the Museum is now gambling
survive, but whether it can survive as the Board excluded from the union a number of for more than a few titles; the stakes now include
private domain of its trustees. It cannot do so additional titles deemed managerial, the very integrity of the Museum itself.
at the expense of its professional staff. supervisory, or confidential. The right to hire
and fire and the right to make significant policy The strike: events and implications
The issues: participation in policy-making decisions are the criteria for managerial or By 11 am, 9 October, picket lines were
The first contract specified that the Director supervisory status. established in front of the Museum, at the
meet with PASTA/MOMA representatives There exist at present twelve titles whose Museum's delivery entrance, and at the
prior to each scheduled meeting of the Board of status was not determined by the National Museum's bookstore warehouse. At 5.3o pm,
Trustees and of the various Trustee Labour Relations Board. Management claims Marguerite Duras, the French novelist and
Committees, and inform those representatives these titles are supervisory, while PASTA/ film-maker, whose latest film, La Femme du
of pending policy matters. These provisions MOMA contends that at least some of these Gange, was scheduled to be shown at the
were not respected, however, and management positions are clearly not supervisory and that the Museum at that time, joined the picket line and
repeatedly abdicated its responsibility in this status of these 'disputed' titles can best be formally announced her withdrawal of the film
area. determined through collective bargaining. in support of the strike. After 6 pm that first day,
Perhaps the most disturbing unilateral Unlike most unions, PASTA/MOMA is an guests began arriving for a special posh preview
action was the management decision to raise the `open shop', i.e. membership in the union is of a new Miró exhibition. They were greeted by
Museum's admission fees in August 1973 to voluntary. Even if a title is represented by the a strong and vocal picket line as they disembarked
$2, $1.25 for students, $1 for senior citizens. union, an individual working in that title need from taxis and limousines. Art dealer Sidney
These increases of 14%, 25%, and 33% not join PASTA/MOMA. Some of the Janis, one of the most important donors in the
respectively, were presented to the staff as individuals holding disputed titles, including Museum's history, refused to cross the picket
faits accomplis, in spite of the fact that such a several full Curators, helped to organize the line. However, Blanchette Rockefeller,
major policy decision was to be discussed with union, have continued to be active members, President of the Board of Trustees, typified the
staff representatives before implementation, and are among its staunchest supporters. Such anachronistic maternalism of many Trustees
not after the fact. A public demonstration by individuals have much experience they can and towards staff in a remark to picketers : 'The
members of PASTA/MOMA helped to force want to contribute to the union. In addition, picket signs are all right, but it's really rude to
the immediate reduction of the senior citizen's PASTA/MOMA feels these senior professionals shout.' Like a parent admonishing her children.
fee to its previous level of 75c, but the other deserve the protections provided by a union As the strike wore on it became clear that many
increases remained in effect. contract, particularly in the area of job security. Trustees shared this attitude, an attitude
As a result of the abuses of the first contract, By claiming jurisdiction over all disputed perhaps fostered by the insulation from
the union is now asking for one seat on the titles, management hopes to weaken the union certain kinds of reality that only great wealth
40-member Board of Trustees and for one by siphoning off membership from the top. In can provide. Many Trustees would pass the
seat on each of seven Trustee Committees. addition to those individuals it would obtain pickets, smile nervously and perhaps
These additions would hardly result in a immediately, management would be in a position sympathetically, yet seemed unable to
veto-power for PASTA/MOMA. Rather, they to promote other individuals, such as understand the strike as a serious problem to
would ensure that the staff had access to Associate Curators, out of the union. be dealt with by action, not helpless smiles.
information about proposed major policy Management argues that the union seeks to This had always been their museum; suddenly
changes while such changes are still under deprive it of titles required to ensure the they could not come there without feeling
consideration. Furthermore, the staff would be effective management of the Museum. uncomfortable. While the Museum's negotiators
able to contribute ideas drawn from the However, there is already one management were stubbornly protecting the insulation of the
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