Mia union announces ‘vote of no confidence’ in museum leadership

One of the two unions representing staff at the Minneapolis Institute of Art has announced a vote of no confidence in museum director Katherine Crawford Luber.

Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 12 sent out the letter of no confidence to the museum’s board of trustees on Thursday afternoon. 

The letter stated that 92 percent of the votes by about 70 staff members were cast against Luber’s continued leadership. The museum’s board of trustees released a letter March 8 stating its support of Luber.

The union vote follows several former employees, and one current employee, recently coming forward with allegations that museum leadership has created a toxic environment for those doing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility work. 

The Local 12 letter states, “We understand the severity of this action, and did not arrive at it hastily.”

It continues, “The leadership and actions of director Luber and deputy director Matthew Welch gravely contradict the values set forth by AAM [American Alliance of Museums] and ICOM [International Council of Museums], harming the museum’s reputation locally and nationally.”  

The staff letter alleges that Luber, Welch and the leadership team have not been fully supportive of DEI and racial justice initiatives, including a document called the “racial equity roadmap.” In 2020, museum staff, from what was known as the BIPOC group and equity team, created the document in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder that year. 

“It’s always good to understand staff sentiment, so we can build and evolve culture,” Mia’s media and public relations manager Molly Lax told MPR News on behalf of Luber and leadership. “However, please note that this ‘vote’ only represents 28 percent of Mia staff.”

Lax pointed to the museum’s “accomplishments and successes on DEI initiatives.”

Local 12 organizer Cesar Montufar told MPR News it’s the first time there has been a vote of no confidence in the museum's leadership by Mia staff who are in Local 12 (Local 12 is one of two unions that represent Mia employees).

He said it is also the first time there has been a vote of no confidence in Local 12 in general, which represents about 3,000 employees at different Midwest companies and organizations.

“There’s a tremendous groundswell in the community of people who think that there’s no way forward for the museum in a positive way with Katie Luber at the helm,” Montufar said. “The real hope is to get a leadership team in place at Mia that brings an end to the toxic work environment that Katie Luber has created, and to some extent, exacerbated. There were some issues before her arrival, but nothing compared to what's been there since.”

The leadership of Mia’s staff union and Local 12 support staff have asked to meet with the board. They asked the board respond to this request by March 15.

The board has not responded to requests for comment from MPR News. However, Mia provided a letter from the board, dated March 8, and addressed to “Dear Valued Mia Supporter.”

In it, the board states Luber “has built a strong and diverse leadership team to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are incorporated across the organization and that they will endure.”

The board letter continues, “In the coming weeks, Mia’s board, together with its leaders, will be exploring deeply how the museum can continue to create a culture that reflects its mission — enriching the community by collecting, preserving, and making accessible outstanding works of art from the world’s diverse cultures — and live its values that center diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging.”

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