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Bernheimer Architecture union member notes the need for industry-wide change

2024-08-12T18:17:00-04:00

While the numbers are relatively small, these victories represent a massive shift in how designers see themselves: We went from being a privileged set of artisans to workers seeking solidarity with other workers in all industries. Learning from the workers and organizers who have put in the hard work before us, designers need to continue to take advantage of the current climate and organize more workplaces.

Chris Beck is an architect and member of the newly formed BA Union at New York-based Bernheimer Architecture, which recently ratified a collective bargaining agreement as the industry’s first union at a private-sector U.S. architecture firm.

Writing for The Progressive Magazine, he says their mission would be considered a failure if not moved successfully from their office and into others across the industry. As other attempts have failed controversially, Beck claims architects’ influence within the building industry has eroded and that "technology is completely dominant, strangling out the artistic skills fostered in the studio environment." Those criticisms echo many brought up in our coverage of Architectural Workers United and other labor groups.

The terms of the BA Union’s ratified contract have yet to be publicized, though they will undoubtedly serve as a primer for the ten or more union efforts thought to be underway currently as architectural workers take note. Less than 1...

Bernheimer Architecture union ratifies collective bargaining agreement, the industry's first

2024-07-26T14:01:00-04:00

The historic effort by staff at Bernheimer Architecture to form the industry’s first union at a private-sector U.S. architecture firm is now complete after their ratification of a collective bargaining agreement in the firm's New York office this week. The vote on Thursday was unanimous. Founder and 2023 AIA NY Medal of Honor recipient Andy Bernheimer is said to have worked openly with organizers to meet a mutual understanding on the contract, whose finalized terms are still forthcoming.

The process began in the summer of 2022 following the failed effort of workers at SHoP to form their own union, an episode that vaulted the conditions of architectural labor into the broader national media spotlight. The BA Union, as it is so-named, is part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), which has over 646,000 active members in the United States and Canada.

Groups such as Architectural Workers United are hailing its formal establishment as a major vic...

Sage and Coombe Architects employees announce union

2023-09-15T14:04:00-04:00

Employees of Sage and Coombe Architects have declared the formation of a new union within the New York office, the firm announced via a social media post late Thursday.

“Sage and Coombe Architects is pleased to announce it has recognized a union as requested by a committee of firm employees. Although we are uncertain about the impact of this process on an architectural office of our size and history, we respect the right to organize and are proud of what the committee called our 'humane, open, collegial, and supportive culture,'” a portion of their statement reads.

With the move, Sage and Coombe joins Bernheimer Architecture as the second significant office in the United States to have successfully formed a union within the past year. Another effort at Snøhetta’s New York and San Francisco office failed over the summer, prompting an investigation at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after the group Architectural Workers United (AWU) charged the firm’s leadership with miscond...

Architectural Workers United charges Snøhetta with anti-union tactics

2023-08-29T19:58:00-04:00

Earlier this summer, Snøhetta was accused of unfair labor practices amid allegations of outside tampering during an unsuccessful union push at the firm.

On the afternoon of August 29, a charge on behalf of the Architectural Workers United (AWU) was filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Snøhetta of unlawfully discriminating against employees over their support for the failed unionization campaign.

“We trust that the National Labor Relations Board, upon hearing the evidence, will rule accordingly and in favor of the workers,” said David Sullivan (Machinists Union, IAM Eastern Territory General Vice) in a press release. “Today’s filing sends a message to the architecture industry that they are no different from any other industry and that if employers use illegal tactics to obstruct their employees from organizing, they will be held accountable.”

Related on Archinect: Snøhetta's U.S. office votes to not unionize

The AUW announced the news on Tuesday via Instagr...

Snøhetta's U.S. office votes to not unionize

2023-07-07T16:40:00-04:00

With much anticipation, voting results for Snøhetta's U.S. employees and their fight for a union have come to a decision. After following Snøhetta's journey towards unionizing back in May and June of 2023, their efforts have fallen short.

Thanks to active report updates from New York Times labor reporter Noam Scheiber, final voting counts from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) resulted in a 35–29 final vote count against unionizing.

Image via @noamscheiber's Twitter account.

As reported merely a little over an hour ago (around 11:50 am PST), the possibility of things taking a turn for the better was mentioned after Scheiber reported the NLRB did not count 6 ballots from Snøhetta's San Francisco office. Prior to the most recent count update, the voting results posted earlier this morning reflected a 29–28 vote. However, after the remaining San Francisco ballots were taken into account, the results still remained unsuccessful.

The topic of fair labor within architecture firms a...

Snøhetta's U.S. employees will vote today on unionization push

2023-06-14T12:53:00-04:00

An update has been provided in the case of Snøhetta’s U.S. employees who have, since the spring, been pushing internally to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.

Staffers will vote today via mail-in ballots as to whether or not to join the union, which was also the subject of an unsuccessful push by SHoP employees that first gained attention in late-2021.

Snøhetta's effort to file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a union election first appeared on Archinect in early May.

Previously on Archinect: Snøhetta’s U.S. employees are seeking to unionize

"We are architects, landscape architects, designers, and operations staff who care deeply for Snøhetta, our projects, and the collaborative culture that makes our firm unique. We are proud of our work at Snøhetta and we are committed to our studio’s success. Through unionization, we will gain a collective voice in the future of our workplace and our profession," organizers said at ...

Portuguese architectural workers have announced a new union

2022-07-20T09:00:00-04:00

Architectural workers in Portugal have announced the formation of a new labor union following months of debate and deliberation.

The group known as Movimento dos Trabalhadores em Arquitectura (MTA) is saying they have adopted a constitution and bylaws following its declaration of intent to organize a union, which they made on May 1st, 2021 — International Workers’ Day — at the Casa Sindical de Campanhã in Porto. The new union will go by the name SINTARQ (short for “Sindicato dos Trabalhadores em Arquitectura”) and be steered by a temporary committee until national elections can be held at a later date and time.

“This moment could only be achieved through the hard work, dedication and solidarity of everyone who has contributed, in one way or another, to this cause over the last three years,” part of the group’s statement reads. “Along the way, it has become clear that better work...

Architectural workers in the UK have formed a union

2019-10-30T16:03:00-04:00

United Voices of the World (UVW) will support the Section of Architectural Workers (UVW-SAW), as the new union is named, with free in-house legal advice, employment law and organiser training, skill-sharing, workplace representation and negotiation, as well as cross-sector experience and campaigns. Membership is between £6 and £10 per month, depending on income.

“We’re open to everyone involved in the production of architecture,” Jake, a UVW union member, tells The Guardian’s Oliver Wainwright, “from the model-maker to the office cleaner and admin staff, everyone should be united under the same umbrella.”

Jake added, “Employers will say that they can only afford to pay low wages because of the low fees they’re getting. But the reason they can take on that work at such a low rate is because they’re exploiting their workforce. If the workforce was unionised, then it would raise the value of architectural labour overall.”

The Architecture Lobby: Boycott the design of immigration detention and deterrence infrastructure

2019-07-31T13:44:00-04:00

The Architecture Lobby and ADPSR call on all design professionals to refuse to participate in the design and construction of any immigration detention and deterrence infrastructure, including but not limited to walls, Border Patrol Stations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices, detention facilities, or juvenile holding centers.

The Architecture Lobby (TAL) and Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) are calling on designers to boycott any efforts to design and construct infrastructure related to the immigration detention and deterrence.

In a statement announcing their efforts, the two organizations write, "[TAL and ADPSR] continue to condemn the current administration’s assault on immigrant rights. These violent and racist policies are designed to cause fear and chaos; target those seeking asylum and refuge; and weaponize the built environment against immigrants."

Instead of helping design detention centers and border walls, the groups call on individual designers, groups of architectural workers, design students, and entire firms to organize against the unjust policies and practices they are being asked to support and perpetuate through their work. That includes speaking out against cruel immigration policies directly to local representatives, refusing to participate in the desig...