Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Detroit Historical Society Workers Join AFSCME

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Staff at the Detroit Historical Society have overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming a union with AFSCME Michigan, joining a growing movement of cultural workers in Detroit and around the country who are organizing for a strong voice on the job.

This victory comes after months of organzing—an effort that was motivated by the need for fair wages and a contract that protects both workers and the future of the institution.

“We often talk about moments in history at the Detroit Historical Society,” said Macsen Kirkpatrick Johnson, a visitor experience associate supervisor. “To know that we are part of the foundational history of the labor movement in our museum, in a city that helped form the labor movement, is nothing short of inspiring.”

“My family has worked in the museum for generations,” added Rebecca Phoenix, a visitor experience associate. “By coming together to form our union with AFSCME, my co-workers and I will have a voice in the work that we do every day. We are passionate about the atmosphere we create, and we know that our union will ensure that the Detroit Historical Society remains an important cultural institution in the city of Detroit for generations to come.”