(POTOMAC, MARYLAND) – Workers employed at the Glenstone Museum, a private contemporary art museum in Potomac, Maryland, have joined Teamsters Local 639.

The group of 89 Workers includes all hourly Guides, Café Workers, Registration, Grounds, Engineering and Maintenance, Community Engagement and Housekeeping Staff.

“I was proud to vote yes in this election because I believe that everyone who works at Glenstone deserves a happy, healthy and fulfilling work environment,” said Lynx Merchant, a Guide at Glenstone and new Member of Local 639.

Elizabeth Shaw, a Grounds and Visitor Liaison and new Member of Local 639, said: “We are the face of Glenstone.  From interacting with visitors in the galleries and dining locations to the spotless windows and maintenance of lush landscape, we keep Glenstone running through our daily labor.  I am excited about the opportunity to bring the realities of our work to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract that will ensure the sustainability of our employment.”

Glenstone Workers organized with the Teamsters to secure livable wages, improved benefits and safer working conditions.

Many at Glenstone are forced to work second jobs and part-time Employees are not provided health care benefits, the Union said.

Weather safety is also a major concern, with Staff being forced to work outdoors during extreme heat and cold, Union Officials added.

During the Organizing Campaign, Workers faced an intense Union-Busting Campaign that was orchestrated by the museum’s multi-billionaire owners, Mitchell and Emily Rales.

The Glenstone Foundation, which reported net assets of $4.4 billion in 2022, spent tens of thousands of dollars on Union Avoidance Consultants from known Union Busting Firms Proskauer Rose and the American Labor Group.

“These Workers defeated a sophisticated Union-Busting assault personally waged by some of the wealthiest people in America,” Local 639 President Bill Davis said. “I want to welcome them to our Local Union and I look forward to helping them negotiate a first Teamsters contract.”  

The Teamsters represents 1.3 million Members in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

To Directly Access This Organizing Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Workers at Glenstone Museum Vote to Join Teamsters - International Brotherhood of Teamsters