Wave of Union Activity Sweeps Through Pasadena’s Educational and Cultural Organizations

Over recent months Pasadena has seen growing labor union activities, particularly within educational institutions like Pasadena City College and ArtCenter College of Design.

In August workers of  Kidspace Children’s Museum voted to start a union. The historic victory marks the first time a children’s museum in Los Angeles County has successfully unionized. 

Museum CEO Lisa Clements said workers’ formation of a union weeks ago came out of a shared desire to make the museum “the best workplace it could be.”

“The conversation grew out of a hope that we could continue to be a place where people could thrive as employees,” she added.

Over at Pasadena City College, faculty is preparing for a vote between October 9th and November 13th on whether to decertify the longstanding Faculty Association.

In July a petition circulated calling for the dissolution of the FA in favor of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) Union of Educators and Classified Professionals, the same union that members of the ArtCenter of College Design voted to join.

At ArtCenter CFT faculty members at ArtCenter are considering a strike as they demand for a new contract that will push for wages and working conditions they want.

The California Federation of Teachers is a statewide union that represents education workers.

The Movement

Jeffery Freitas, President of California Federation of Teachers (CFT), which represents education workers from public and private schools said that the growing labor movement has been propelled by income inequality and multiple other factors.

“There has been a growing labor movement in this country, not just in Pasadena and L.A. over the last few years. We’ve seen it in strikes and organizing throughout many of the different job classifications or industries,” said Freitas. “Part of it can also be slated towards the income inequality that we see in this country where many of the corporations are getting rich and richer and the working class have not been able to keep up with inflation housing in many other figures that determine our livelihood and our lives and our quality of life.”

Freitas said concerns of teachers in PCC and ArtCenter include livable wages, healthcare and parity for part time workers.

Elizabeth Chin, professor at ArtCenter and member of CFT said union activities in the educational sector are growing because workers are not working under better conditions or getting pay that would let them live reasonably.

For Catherine Cheng, part time faculty at PCC, the high cost of living motivated increased organizing efforts in Pasadena.

“I think one of the main factors is the high cost of living,” said Cheng. “It has become almost impossible to make a decent living and live comfortably in the area.”

“I also think there’s been this sort of movement of workers just being dissatisfied with how they are being treated.” 

Melissa Michelson, faculty member at PCC and member of Pasadena City College Faculty Association (PCCFA) shares the same sentiments.

“The larger workforce concerns that have motivated union organizing efforts in Pasadena are out of control costs of living, from rent, to utilities, to insurance, to taxes, to food on the table, to education fees,” Michelson said.

No Impact So Far

Paul Little, President of Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association does not think the recent actions of unions will impact local businesses and the economy. 

“Union activity in itself is neither harmful nor beneficial for businesses,” said Little. “In Pasadena we are seeing labor actions on behalf of hotel workers and possibly healthcare workers, but I do not think either will have an impact on the local economy, employment rates or other factors.”

Despite the peak in support for unions across the country, Little does not see changes so far resulting from union activities.

“There has not been an increase in union membership among Pasadenans or at Pasadena businesses that I am aware of,” he added.

Little does not believe that the increased labor union activity will likely lead to higher costs of goods and services for consumers.

“The cost of living is high in Pasadena, as a result of very high housing costs and high rents for commercial spaces. I do not think labor union activity or membership has contributed much, since there are few newly unionized enterprises in Pasadena,” he said. “Those that are unionized have been so for quite some time.”

This surge in union support is part of a broader national trend: Gallup reported a peak in public support for unions, the highest since 1965.

In Los Angeles, residents are seeing labor actions on behalf of workers from different industries including hotel, entertainment and education. Labor unions often negotiate for better working conditions and benefits for their members.

Kent Wong, director at UCLA Labor Center, a research and extension department at UCLA said the growing labor activities are caused by massive economic inequality.

“Unfortunately, the economic inequality has gotten worse under the pandemic where we have billionaires who have been making billions of profits even during the pandemic, while the essential workers who have been at the front line have been facing tremendous economic challenges and difficulties.

“That’s especially compounded by the rising inflation, the rising housing costs, and increasingly with working people, finding it very difficult to make ends meet. So those are all of the factors that have caused greater interest in unions and in organizing surveys reflect that support for unions is at a 50 year high, and especially among young workers, the interest in support for unions is over 80%.”

More Money 

At Kidspace, workers at the museum said they formed a union to address their concerns related to creating a livable wage that matched the cost of living, better training for staff, inclusion of staff in the museum’s decision-making process and more. The new union will cover approximately 60 workers across the museum and include play facilitators, guest service associates, animal program coordinators, retail associates and more.

Those who led the campaign emerged victorious amid allegations that management had attempted to dissuade workers from joining the union.

Despite recent changes, the goal of Kidspace management remains the same.

“Now we’re going to be moving towards our shared goals with a union in place, and that may give staff different tools to negotiate for things that are important to them in the workplace. But I don’t think it fundamentally changes the commitment we have to creating a workplace where people can be inspired, people are welcome, people feel safe, where people can create opportunities for positive social change and where our focus really is on helping children thrive in our community,” said Clements.