Archinect - News

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...

In 2023, labor, unions, and salaries were up for discussion and debate in architecture

2023-12-24T08:00:00-05:00

At the end of last year, we described 2022 as the year that “architecture’s labor movement roared back to life.” In 2023, the movement kept the volume on 'high.' Across the U.S. and internationally, reforms in labor conditions continued from the top down and the bottom up.

Throughout the year, worker-led movements across both academia and practice exercised their right to form a union, as well as their right to strike against unfair or unsatisfactory working conditions. Meanwhile, conversations over working conditions in design studios were joined by concerns over treatment and protections for construction workers.

In tandem with conversations over workplace conditions, moves were also made to improve salary transparency, whether from the passing of new laws on a state level, or workers themselves taking the initiative to collect and share salary information.

To further explore these trends, we have set out the key developments and stories throughout 2023 related to topics surroundi...

UK architecture workers can now join Unite, one of the UK's largest trade unions

2023-11-27T11:25:00-05:00

The UK’s Section of Architectural Workers (SAW) has announced its affiliation with Unite, one of the UK’s most influential trade union groups. The move will see SAW operate under the same union group as the UK’s wider construction sector.

When it was established in 2019, SAW was affiliated with the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, hence its original name, UVW-SAW. Recently, SAW was one of several groups that publicly supported Muyiwa Oki’s successful campaign for RIBA president.

Related on Archinect: Sage and Coombe Architects employees announce union

Following the latest announcement, SAW is now a national branch of Unite, the second-largest UK trade union by numbers with over 1.4 million members. The union also has strong links with the UK’s Labour Party, which is widely expected to enter government following the UK’s upcoming 2024 General Election.

Unlike in the US, architecture workers in the UK do not need to form an internal union group within their firm, and instead joi...

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 ...

Snøhetta’s U.S. employees are seeking to unionize

2023-05-09T10:30:00-04:00

Workers at Snøhetta’s U.S. studios are filing to form a union. In an Instagram post published by Architectural Workers United, the group said “We, the employees of Snøhetta’s U.S. studios, have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a union election.”

“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,” the statement continues. “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.”

“We are excited to take this next step together,” the statement concludes.

Archinect Feature: Unionization in Architecture: Reviving a Dormant Movement to Fix a Broken Industry

The group is seeking to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union group associated with the movement among ShoP wor...

Rhode Island School of Design’s architecture faculty gives ‘unequivocal support’ to striking workers

2023-04-13T09:56:00-04:00

The architecture faculty of the Rhode Island School of Design has expressed its “unequivocal support” for striking workers on the campus. The strike, now approaching two weeks in duration, is being carried out by 60 movers, custodians, and ground service staff, represented by the Teamsters union.

“We express our unequivocal support for the custodians, groundskeepers, and movers currently on strike for a fair, decent wage at RISD,” a statement by the architecture department reads. “As educators and practitioners, we are acutely aware that the maintenance of our physical spaces is vital to the everyday functioning of our institution and is also the physical manifestation of our collective value systems. We firmly believe that RISD must fairly compensate and support the people whose tireless labor makes our work fundamentally possible. Their labor must be valued, recognized, and celebrated.”

“When employers use standards of minimum rather than standards of care, today’s living wage ...

In 2022, architecture's labor movement roared back to life

2022-12-19T12:34:00-05:00

In any future analysis of architectural workplace conditions, the impact of 2022 cannot be understated. Throughout the year, our editorial played host to a wide variety of labor-related developments in the profession, from top-down efforts to improve salary transparency to bottom-up unionization drives across the United States and the world.

Notwithstanding decisions by lawmakers and firm principals to reform laws and business structures, respectively, the seismic shifts in architectural labor conditions were predominantly the results of grassroots efforts. Union groups such as Architectural Workers United and Bernheimer Architecture Union set valuable precedents for workers seeking to collectively organize in the years ahead, while The Architecture Lobby set out a vision for the profession that dispels the employee-employer relationship entirely.

Beyond the U.S., meanwhile, grassroots groups led to the formation of a union in Portugal, strike action and salary disclosure platforms...

Dissatisfied architects ‘would caution others against working in profession’ says union coalition survey

2022-10-14T14:01:00-04:00

A survey of architectural professionals conducted by a U.S. union coalition has revealed widespread dissatisfaction with pay, hours, and agency in workplace decisions. The survey of 436 professionals was led by the Department for Professional Employees, whose 24 affiliated unions include the IAM union which oversaw the recent unionizing effort at SHoP in New York City.

The survey, launched in April, found that architecture workers are eager for reforms in their workplace, with 90% wanting to see changes to working conditions. 63% of respondents report having little or no voice in policymaking at their firm, while 55% fear retaliation for speaking out about issues at their firm. 39% of respondents also believe their employers have not taken any steps to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Survey presentation extract. Image credit: Department for Professional Employees

Despite several high-profile developments in the union movement in 2022, 83% of respondents sai...

UK architecture workers preparing for 'historic strike ballot' over pay and conditions dispute

2022-09-14T10:30:00-04:00

Workers at London-based Atomik Architecture are preparing to ballot for strike action, following a dispute over pay and conditions at the firm. Workers at the firm informed management on Tuesday of their intention to ballot for what could become the first ever strike by private-sector architecture workers in the UK.

In a statement released via the UK trade union UVW-SAW, the workers say that the decision follows months of being ignored by management after raising issues regarding pay and conditions, both individually in annual reviews and in a collective letter.

The group also claims that management at Atomik have responded to the dispute by triggering a redundancy consultation, which may lead to job losses. “This came as a shock to the workers, who until recently were under the impression the company was looking to expand the number of employees,” the UVW-SAW statement says.

The group also claims that management have refused to postpone an upcoming redundancy consultation meeting ...

First architecture union formed by workers at New York firm Bernheimer Architecture

2022-09-01T10:40:00-04:00

Workers at New York firm Bernheimer Architecture have formed the first functioning union at a private-sector architecture firm in the United States. The workers group, collectively known as BA Union, will join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), as first reported by The New York Times.

The firm, led by Andrew Bernheimer, has chosen to recognize the union voluntarily, which avoided the need for a secret ballot election to be held in coordination with the NLRB, a procedure which we explained in our recent feature article on the subject. Bernheimer has also been publicly supportive of the union’s formation at his 22-person firm.

"We know that architecture is a discipline and profession that has a legacy of exploitation," Bernheimer told The New York Times. "I am of the opinion that one possible way for things to improve is for educators and professionals to show that they value the people who make all of our architecture happen."

Related on Arch...

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...

Survey launches to shape unionization efforts in architecture

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

The Department for Professional Employees (DPE), a coalition of U.S.-based unions, has launched a survey seeking to understand the unionization landscape in the architectural profession. The group’s 24 affiliated unions span from artists to school administrators as well as the IAM union which oversaw the recent unionizing effort at SHoP in New York City.

The survey was launched in the wake of the efforts at SHoP and is aimed at collecting views from architectural workers on current conditions in the industry. The results of the survey will also help DPE shape their plans to support future union efforts in architecture.

“We’ve heard rumblings of dissatisfaction among employees in architectural occupations and professions and want to help them organize to create a better industry,” DPE President Jennifer Dorning told Archinect. “With our survey for architectural professionals, we are hoping to get a better sense of the most important workplace issues and how we can best support archit...

Following the withdrawal of SHoP's unionization effort, the architecture community reacts

2022-02-04T17:25:00-05:00

A unionization effort at SHoP Architects that drew attention from across the industry has now been defeated after organizers officially withdrew their petition with the National Labor Review Board (NLRB) to form a labor union within the office.

After a push toward unionization was first made public by the New York Times in December, staffers at the 26-year-old firm are now abandoning the effort, citing a “powerful anti-union campaign” from within and decisions amongst the petitioners to pursue “alternatives” to address some of the abusive workplace conditions that the effort has brought to the fore.

Previously on Archinect: SHoP staffers announce unionization as the industry continues to shift away from traditional firm models

In a statement posted to an Instagram account associated with the group Architectural Workers United (AWU) on Thursday, organizers cited a dissolution of the unity which had carried the effort thus far, claiming that the newfound lack of a quorum was born out ...

SHoP staffers announce unionization as the industry continues to shift away from traditional firm models

2021-12-21T20:24:00-05:00

On Tuesday, employees at the well-regarded firm SHoP Architects said that they were seeking to change the formula of long hours for middling pay by taking a step that is nearly unheard-of in their field. They are seeking to unionize.

The labor organizers at SHoP Architects, which recently became employee-owned, are proposing to join ranks with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Architecture, in general, is behind the rest of the economy in terms of similar efforts that could become more and more common now with the public backing of industry groups like The Architecture Lobby, which recently threw its support behind employees at the firm.

“The Architecture Lobby stands in solidarity with Architectural Workers United at SHoP Architects and unequivocally supports their efforts to form a union in their workplace,” the group's Statement of Support reads. “As an organization of architectural workers, we call on the firm’s principals to voluntarily recognize the union and engage in good faith negotiations with the collective bargaining unit.”

“We’re very innovative in a lot of our office work,” SHoP employee and unionization backer Danielle Tellez told the NY Times. “This feels like an...

LA's Marciano Foundation museum closes amid staff unionization push

2019-11-10T18:00:00-05:00

On Tuesday night, the Marciano Art Foundation laid off nearly six dozen visitor services employees who had been attempting to unionize. The museum then issued a public statement saying that the space would be “closed to the public until further notice.” By Wednesday, the museum had issued yet another statement: There are “no present plans to reopen.” Staffers who had announced their intent to unionize decried the shutdown as an illegal union-busting scheme.

The Marciano Art Foundation debuted in 2017 and was designed by wHY within a building originally designed by storied Los Angeles architect Millard Sheets.

Describing the abrupt closure, Carolina Miranda writes in The Los Angeles Times, "The Marciano situation has also highlighted issues of pay equity at museums, which frequently have a coterie of well-remunerated administrators at the top, followed by a much larger subset of poorly paid workers at the bottom, many part time."

WeWork employees embark on unionization effort

2019-11-09T00:01:00-05:00

We want our time here to have meant something. We don’t want to be defined by the scandals, the corruption, and the greed exhibited by the company’s leadership. We want to leave behind a legacy that represents the true character and intentions of WeWork employees. We want those being laid off to be provided fair and reasonable separation terms commensurate with their contributions, including severance pay, continuation of company-paid health insurance and compensation for lost equity.

According to a recently-launched web page, WeWork employees are launching an organizational effort to secure workers rights as the company contemplates laying off thousands in the wake of its high-profile collapse.

The group, which refers to itself as the WeWorkers Coalition, writes, "We are asking to be treated with humanity and dignity so we can continue living life while searching to make a living elsewhere. In consideration of recent news, we will also need clarity around the contracts our cleaning staff will be required to sign in order to keep their jobs, which are being outsourced to a third party. Those of us who have visas through WeWork need assistance and adequate time to find a new employer to sponsor our respective visas."

The case for a trade union for architects

2019-07-18T18:22:00-04:00

Faced with this level of acquiescence, the case for unionising the profession becomes compelling. As a regulator of working conditions and a protective body for workers, a trade union would force the industry to adapt to healthier working conditions; without these decisions being left to the leading staff and management who are themselves usually under pressure to attain expected productivity levels.

While Eleanor Hill's Failed Architecture piece looks specifically at the missed opportunity of British architects to formally unionize, the argument for organized representation could be applied to the profession on a broader global level.

"The specialisation of labour and consequent creation of more hierarchies in the workplace has also led to an increasingly fragmented and divided workforce," Hill writes.

"Architecture offices today have a myriad of individual workers in different roles: the design-team alone can have five different kinds of architectural professional working on one project, and that’s without considering the many other support staff, such as marketing, human resources, front of house and any premises workers, who contribute to the business. While interpersonal divisions are a bad reason to accept poor working conditions, this extreme fragmentation between different roles may well be one of the factors preventing architecture workers from standing united in their...

Transparent Value; A Conversation with Architecture Lobby's Peggy Deamer and Shota Vashakmadze

2018-08-17T18:30:00-04:00

On this latest issue of the Archinect Sessions podcast Ken, Paul and Donna talk with Peggy Deamer and Shota Vashakmadze, from the Architecture Lobby. For those of you unfamiliar, the Architecture Lobby is a non-profit organization run by and for architectural workers that advocate for the value of architecture to the public, and for the value of architectural work within the industry. The Lobby is rooted in a 10-point manifesto:

Enforce labor laws that prohibit unpaid internships, unpaid overtime; refuse unpaid competitions.
Reject fees based on percentage of construction or hourly fees and instead calculate value based on the money we save our clients or gain them.
Stop peddling a product–buildings–and focus on the unique value architects help realize through spatial services.
Enforce wage transparency across the discipline.
Establish a union for architects, designers, academics, and interns in architecture and design.
Demystify the architect as solo creative genius; no honors for ...

GSAPP United: how student unions affect architectural labor, ft. A.L. Hu, GSAPP MArch student and organizer with Graduate Workers of Columbia, on Archinect Sessions #81

2016-09-15T18:50:00-04:00

In a landmark decision last month, Columbia University graduate students won the right to unionize in a case filed against the National Labor Relations Board. As a result, graduate students in private universities across the U.S. now have the right to collectively bargain. What effect does this have on architecture student labor, and the valuation of architecture overall?

We're joined this week by special guest A.L. Hu, a third-year GSAPP MArch student and key organizer with Graduate Workers of Columbia (GWC-UAW). Hu shared what's happening at the school after the landmark decision, and how these organizing efforts can affect the architecture profession overall.

Listen to episode 81 of Archinect Sessions, "GSAPP United":

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