Walker Art Center workers rally against ‘union busting’

A giant puppet with blue hands and a black bag with a silver dollar sign for a head stood at the entrance to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Thursday, just across the street from Walker Art Center.

“Mr. Greed,” shouted a protester. “Management!” someone else yelled out.

A crowd of about 100 people, including current and former Walker employees in AFSCME Local 4493, union representatives and members, artists and other supporters gathered to protest the Walker’s alleged union busting.

They were protesting the firings of Walker union president Michelle Maser, a former visitor experience specialist and volunteer coordinator, and Gabi Bruner, the union secretary and former lead gallery assistant. The union alleges that more than half of its collective bargaining unit, currently 94 people, has been pushed out through “union busting” techniques.

“We are trying to fix the problem of how we got here in the first place,” said Max Hall, AFSCME Local 4493, Council 5 union representative. “We don’t see the need for layoffs if they collaborate with our members who maintain their exhibitions, security and more.”

A Walker spokesperson denied the claims.

“While Walker Art Center leadership respects the rights of union members to rally, we disagree, in the strongest terms, with the assertions being made regarding union busting activity. The Walker remains in full compliance with its Collective Bargaining Agreement.”

The union’s five-year contract ends in January 2026. Contract negotiations are slated to begin this summer.

Maser, who worked at the Walker for almost four years, said she was told her position was eliminated, with no additional information.

“They need to work with us to do the best they can to make sure they aren’t laying people off,” Maser said. “We’ve seen them restructure several jobs within the last couple of months. So, if my job needed to look like something else, there was already precedent for how that should go, but instead they didn’t work with me.”

She said after four people left her department, their work was given to managers outside of the collective bargaining unit.

Bruner, who worked at the Walker for only eight months, said she had had a “perfect record as an employee” before “a situation” happened. She declined to give details about the incident.

Bruner said management wanted to have a meeting without a union steward present, but she invoked her Weingarten rights, which allow for a steward to be present during a disciplinary meeting.

“I knew my rights,” she said. “I was happy to do the meeting with a steward, but they wouldn’t allow a steward to be present.”

They fired her the same day, she said.

“All of this happened extremely shortly after I became a steward for the union and the secretary of the union, and in general more outspoken about union activity and encouraging people to join,” Bruner added.

Maser and Bruner are asking for their jobs back.

A Walker spokesperson said the arts institution has “not implemented any substantive reductions in staff,” stating that in fall 2024 it “began a restructuring process across its Visitor & Gallery Experience teams to improve collaboration, coordination, and workflow across the division.

“This process was completed at the end of March 2025 and included the creation and elimination of a small number of roles both union and non-union.”

Union representatives also rallied against stools being removed from galleries in February 2024 — requiring gallery attendants to stand for long periods of time. In April 2024, union members took to social media to protest the removal of the stools. The Walker said standing for long periods of time was clearly stated in the job description.

Walker employees also claimed that management is changing schedules, causing employee income to be in flux and creating a sense of instability.

The Walker denied this claim, as well: “No other substantive role-related changes have been implemented, and fluctuations in hours are normal and correlated to each season’s exhibition and program schedule.”

Walker Art Center is hiring for a part-time visitor experience associate and a full-time lead gallery assistant.

Walker workers first unionized in 2020 and are represented by AFSCME Council 5 in the category of private/special contracts.