Detroit Historical Society workers win their union with AFSCME Michigan

Workers at the Detroit Historical Society won their union with AFSCME Michigan, joining the movement in Detroit for cultural workers to have a stronger voice to create better institutions for both employees and the community.

The workers voted overwhelmingly in favor of their union on August 28, 2025, after months of organizing and building their collective voice about the issues in the workplace.

“We often talk about moments in history at the Detroit Historical Society,” said Macsen Kirkpatrick Johnson, Visitor Experience Associate Supervisor. “To know that we are part of the foundational history of the labor movement in our museum, in a city that helped form the labor movement, is nothing short of inspiring.”

For Rebecca Phoenix, Visitor Experience Associate, unionizing was about moving forward.

“My family has worked in the museum for generations. By coming together to form our union with AFSCME, my coworkers and I will have a voice in the work that we do every day. We are passionate about the atmosphere we create, and we know that our union will ensure that the Detroit Historical Society remains an important cultural institution in the City of Detroit for generations to come.”

While fair wages and a strong first contract are the basis of their organizing, museum workers can all agree that their unionization efforts were about protecting the institution that they are all passionate about.

This victory, paired with recent success at the Detroit Institute of Arts, sends a message to cultural workers across Michigan about the importance of coming together to build a voice in the workplace. 

More than 50,000 workers in libraries, museums, zoos and other cultural institutions across the country have gained a seat at the table and a voice on the job through the AFSCME Cultural Workers United campaign, the largest organizing effort of its kind in the nation.