Story & Photo by Acacia Rodriguez

Inside a 1936-era decommissioned subway station, the New York Transit Museum (NYTM) is home to a fleet of vintage subway cars, buses, turnstiles, and now, one of DC 37’s newest bargaining units.

Spurred by connections with cultural workers from other unionized institutions, the museum’s educators, actors, frontline workers, and administrative staff began unionization discussions in May 2025. Their campaign concluded with a successful election to join DC 37.

“We have a unified bargaining unit, which is great!” said Patricia Janick, a School Youth and Group Programs Coordinator and key member of the organizing committee. “It was clear from the start of discussions with my coworkers why a union would solve a lot of our issues.”

Janick joined the organizing committee after a chance encounter with DC 37 union member June Lei, a Local 1502 Public Programs Producer at the Brooklyn Museum. After sharing issues faced in the workplace, Lei encouraged Janick to look into what a union with a strong history of organizing public sector and cultural workers could do. Janick’s interaction with Lei was not the only push from organized labor fueling the campaign.

“I used to work at South Street Seaport Museum, which unionized in April,” said Kristi Licausi, an NYTM Family & Access Programs Assistant Manager who facilitated the organizing committee’s social events. “It was exciting to think about the connections and positive community building we could do when we started to have productive conversations with our colleagues at the museum.”

Improved compensation, guaranteed hours, and policy consistency across departments were the main agitations for NYTM staff. Human resources was handled by a third party, meaning any issues were funneled through executive staff at the museum and made addressing concerns uncomfortable and difficult.

Many of the museum’s staff work part time, leading to a challenge in organizing.

Ava Dennis, a part-time Museum Educator, also joined the organizing committee, planning events that allowed staff to get to know one another, discussing goals for unionization, and breaking down the siloed culture at the museum.

“The most difficult aspect of organizing was reaching people I never had an opportunity to connect with before our social events,” Dennis said. “Thankfully, trusted colleagues whom I admire and respect were instrumental in getting people together to talk about their issues.”

Brooke Bell, a part-time Costumed Storyteller, who is also a member of SAGAFTRA and the Actors’ Equity Association, highlighted the need for staff unity and strength to move the campaign forward.

“Being a good worker is not good enough,” Bell said. “It will not get you where you want to go. You need other people to help uplift you, and you must uplift others at the same time.”

Despite their robust social media campaign, nearly 1,000 community signatures, and even the backing of Councilmember Lincoln Restler, museum management denied the group’s petition for voluntary recognition.

Staff responded with a unanimous vote for unionization on March 27.

DC 37 Organizers Melissa Bautista and Nicholas Guarnaccia said the victory was a long time coming.

“Workers at the museum attempted to organize as early as 2019,” Bautista said. “The current organizing committee fueled a worker-led campaign that showed there is power in numbers.”

“This is what struggle looks like. You do what you can with what you have in the moment,” Guarnaccia said. “Even if it doesn’t succeed initially, you help pave the way for someone else to carry it forward.”

The NYTM is a working-class museum that showcases a history rooted in labor movements. The NYTM’s worker collective now joins its place in labor history with DC 37.

New York Transit Museum workers celebrate their unanimous vote to unionize with DC 37. From left, top row: Gwendolyn Mejia, Avery Ingvarson, Eleanor Poethke, Gracie Mills, Mel Ashby-Hunt, Finnley Staub, Ava Dennis, Una Lynch, Nicholas Guarnaccia, and Melissa Bautista. Second row: June Lei, Derek Hernandez, Patricia Janick, Brooke Bell, and Kristi Licausi.

This article originally appeared in the April-June 2026 issue of PEPTalk Magazine.