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... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry

The White House has announced that it is seeking the public’s help in understanding the risks posed by artificial intelligence to labor conditions. The public request for information (RFI), led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, is centered on how AI tools are “used by... View full entry

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... View full entry

A group of 40 striking graduate student instructors and staff assistants at the University of Michigan Taubman College have reportedly had their April wages taken from them in response to their participation in a campus-wide movement that has sought improved working conditions and better pay for... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry

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... View full entry