(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Unionized employees at the Art Institute of Chicago and its school are calling on management to stalling on negotiating a contract.
Hundreds of members of Art Institute of Chicago Workers United, also known as AICWU, picketed outside of the museum demanding a fair contract after nearly a year of bargaining.
Myia Brown, a staff member and student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, said management has been trying to keep the union's contract as "bare minimum" as possible.
"In those bargaining sessions, it's just the same conversation of, ‘Oh, we can't do that,’ or, ‘Oh, we already have these conditions, why are these not good enough?’”
Staff member at SAIC Briana Shucart said she's hopeful that the union's demonstration will push management to actually make some headway in negotiating a fair contract.
"We have seen that when we are public with our needs, their kind of willful ignorance dissipates,” she said.
Some of the union's demands include pay equity, prior notice of layoffs, and taking union dues out of paychecks.
The Art Institute issued a statement later Thursday saying its representatives have been bargaining in good faith.
“We remain committed to reaching an agreement that best meets the needs of our staff while allowing us to continue to provide a world-class education at the School and a world-class cultural experience at the museum,” the statement said.
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