On Friday, November 15, 2024, at 12:00 p.m., the proud employees who keep Bay Area Discovery Museum functioning — including teachers, program coordinators, visitor service coordinators, and administrative staff — announced they had secured majority support amongst their coworkers to unionize with SEIU Local 1021.

After delivering a letter to their board of directors demanding union recognition, Bay Area Discovery Museum employees celebrated the announcement of their union by sharing short speeches outside the Museum.  

Overwhelmingly, employees at the Bay Area Discovery Museum chose to work at the museum to spark a love for science in children. Unfortunately, the museum’s chaotic and opaque management style has hindered the museum from fulfilling this mission.  

Sofia Estebecorena Prieto, a bilingual playful learning facilitator, said, “I’ve been paying hundreds of dollars out of pocket for a healthcare plan I was guaranteed upon hire, due to human resources failing to communicate deadlines. This is just one example of the lack of accountability in leadership that has driven significant staff turnover, impacting our ability to fulfill our mission of promoting science to children.”  

Remy Ayres, a membership and visitor services coordinator, stated, “I am forming a union because in my two years at the museum, I have witnessed harmful top-down decision making, a lack of transparency, and dishonest leadership that hold us back from fulling our core mission. How can we best inspire children and bring joy to our work when we are constantly needing to clarify what the museum’s basic mission is?”  

Examples of the museum’s chaotic and opaque management style include changing pay schedules without notice or clear explanation, needlessly restructuring departments without employee input, and failing to communicate changes in sick leave policy. Ultimately, these dysfunctional management practices have led to high staff turnover, which keeps the museum from fully realizing its mission of promoting science education to children.  

Employees at the Bay Area Discovery Museum hope that management will choose to voluntarily recognize their union by agreeing to card check and remaining neutral.