NOTE: This is an unofficial statement from the RISD Museum-- The director of the Museum would not release an official statement. This is primarily a statement of staff of the RISD Museum as individuals in support of the strike.
Support for Local 251
Dear President Williams and Members of the Board of Trustees,
We, the undersigned Museum staff, as individuals, deliver this letter to respectfully express our support and solidarity with the striking workers of Local 251, fellow workers and valued members of our RISD community
We welcome the promise from the administration for greater transparency during these negotiations and going forward. We urge you to bring this disruptive action to a close equitably.
Our custodians, groundskeepers, and movers are an indispensable part of the fabric of the RISD community. Their labor keeps RISD running and they demonstrate that every day. We have not forgotten their hard work and sacrifice throughout the pandemic.
We believe that all workers– unionized and non-unionized– deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. For that, it is essential that everyone at RISD should be compensated fairly and paid a living wage.
We call for immediate action on behalf of our co-workers who have faced weeks of upsetting conflict without a paycheck. We recognize that this is a difficult goal to achieve, but our community has faced challenges before and we are certain that with creativity this can be resolved. Please do not delay.
Signed as of April 15, 2023, 5pm
Emily Banas
Denise Bastien
Lily Benedict
Laurie Brewer
Sháńdíín Brown
Brendan Campbell
Michael Cheatham
Wai Yee Chiong
Deborah Clemons
Jack Cummings
Carlos De La Rosa
Brady R Douglass
Alex Dunwoodie
Amanda Eckhardt
Tara Emsley
Laura Faria
Erik Gould
Sionan Guenther
Kristen Haines
Kate Hao
Kate Irvin
Marcee Johnson
Anna Rose Keefe
Marny Kindness
Mariani Lefas-Tetenes
Sarah Mirseyedi
Thomas Morin
Conor Moynihan
Kara Nandin
Haydee Naula
Samuel Nehila
Ingrid Neuman
Maureen O’Brien
Laura Ostrander
Michael Owen
Jaime Pacheco
Jac Parker
Amy Pickworth
Alexandra Poterack
Nicole Priedemann
Jeremy Radtke
MJ Robinson
Cristobal Salazar
Kris Samuelson
Derek Schusterbauer
Julie Temple
Brianna Turner
Jessica Urick
Elizabeth Williams
Support for Local 251
Dear President Williams and Members of the Board of Trustees,
We, the undersigned Museum staff, as individuals, deliver this letter to respectfully express our support and solidarity with the striking workers of Local 251, fellow workers and valued members of our RISD community
We welcome the promise from the administration for greater transparency during these negotiations and going forward. We urge you to bring this disruptive action to a close equitably.
Our custodians, groundskeepers, and movers are an indispensable part of the fabric of the RISD community. Their labor keeps RISD running and they demonstrate that every day. We have not forgotten their hard work and sacrifice throughout the pandemic.
We believe that all workers– unionized and non-unionized– deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. For that, it is essential that everyone at RISD should be compensated fairly and paid a living wage.
We call for immediate action on behalf of our co-workers who have faced weeks of upsetting conflict without a paycheck. We recognize that this is a difficult goal to achieve, but our community has faced challenges before and we are certain that with creativity this can be resolved. Please do not delay.
Signed as of April 15, 2023, 5pm
Emily Banas
Denise Bastien
Lily Benedict
Laurie Brewer
Sháńdíín Brown
Brendan Campbell
Michael Cheatham
Wai Yee Chiong
Deborah Clemons
Jack Cummings
Carlos De La Rosa
Brady R Douglass
Alex Dunwoodie
Amanda Eckhardt
Tara Emsley
Laura Faria
Erik Gould
Sionan Guenther
Kristen Haines
Kate Hao
Kate Irvin
Marcee Johnson
Anna Rose Keefe
Marny Kindness
Mariani Lefas-Tetenes
Sarah Mirseyedi
Thomas Morin
Conor Moynihan
Kara Nandin
Haydee Naula
Samuel Nehila
Ingrid Neuman
Maureen O’Brien
Laura Ostrander
Michael Owen
Jaime Pacheco
Jac Parker
Amy Pickworth
Alexandra Poterack
Nicole Priedemann
Jeremy Radtke
MJ Robinson
Cristobal Salazar
Kris Samuelson
Derek Schusterbauer
Julie Temple
Brianna Turner
Jessica Urick
Elizabeth Williams
