Mia union workers and management agree to a new 2½-year contract

After five months of negotiations, OPEIU members at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Mia management Tuesday struck a new labor agreement.

Union members — representing 152 people in administrative services, art services, specialists and building services — voted 95% in favor of ratifying the new 2½-year contract, which is retroactive to Jan. 1.

"Our membership is really happy," Mia union steward Dustin Steuck said. "We felt really respected and heard, I think, throughout the process."

The biggest win was a wage increase. OPEIU members at Mia will receive a $4-per-hour raise over the next 16 months that includes a $1-per-hour increase retroactive to Jan. 1, a $1.50-per-hour increase starting July 1 and a $1.50-per-hour increase on July 1, 2024.

The new contact also ensures that assistant, associate and full curators will be included in the union with incentives and promotion opportunities. Full curators previously were barred from joining the union because of their managerial duties.

Mia also agreed to a progressive discipline policy that includes clear guidelines about how staff members are informed when disciplinary action is taken against them.

"It's documented so that management and the employee can work on whatever that is, and so both sides have a track record, so that there is no lack of understanding between the two parties," Steuck said.

Management also agreed to eliminate comp time and instead will pay overtime for anything exceeding a 7.5-hour workday or a 37.5-hour workweek. All members begin with 12 vacation days.

"We are pleased that the OPEIU and Mia teams reached an agreement and that the union has ratified the new contract," said Mia's President and Director Katie Luber. "As we have said from the outset of these negotiations, the museum and OPEIU have had a successful, multi-decade relationship built on mutual respect, so we had every reason to remain confident that we would be able to bridge our differences and finalize a new contract."

The union's contract expired in January.

The union held informational pickets outside the museum on Feb. 16 and March 4. The picket scheduled for March 5 was canceled after negotiations resumed.