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PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Testimony by Brandon Mancilla, Director of UAW Region 9A, on Brooklyn Museum Layoffs

1:34:48

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Brandon Mancilla, Director of UAW Region 9A, testifies in support of UAW Local 2110 members at the Brooklyn Museum facing layoffs. He emphasizes the union's commitment to fighting these layoffs and calls for increased city and state funding for cultural institutions.

Expresses solidarity with DC37 members also affected by the layoffs
Criticizes the normalization of layoffs and downsizing, especially in light of federal threats to institutions
Calls on the city council to make such situations unacceptable and end practices that hurt union members
Expresses disappointment that museum leadership is not present to explain their decision

Brandon Mancilla

1:34:48

Hello.

1:34:50

Good, afternoon, everyone.

1:34:51

I am Brandon Mencia, the director of UAW Region nine a, which includes, Local two thousand one hundred ten under its umbrella.

1:35:00

I'm here on behalf of the 1,000,000 active and retired members of the UAW across the country and 20,000 members in New York City, and here to support our UAW Local twenty one ten members at the Brooklyn Museum.

1:35:13

I wanna echo what Ameda Rosenstein and the members have already said about the UAW's commitment to fighting for these members at Brooklyn Museum facing these unjust layoffs.

1:35:24

And I also wanna express my support to the members represented by DC thirty seven and brother Guerito in this fight.

1:35:30

DC thirty seven and the UAW will be united in this fight as we relentlessly represent and win justice for our members.

1:35:38

I wanted to say that in the era of Doge and the federal threats to all of our institutions, it is our duty as a union to speak against all attempts to normalize layoffs and downsizing.

1:35:49

And we believe it is the city's responsibility, city government's responsibility, to do everything in its power to make the city affordable and a home of good, union respecting employers.

1:36:00

The city cannot be a beacon of hope and an alternative to what's going on in Washington if we are, if we allow our storied institutions to not honor its commitments to the community, to art, and to its workers that make these institutions run.

1:36:16

We have talked to state electives, we will continue to do so to emphasize the need to invest and increase funding for cultural institutions and museums across the city and state.

1:36:26

And we also call on the city council to support our calls to make these situations unacceptable and end these practices that only go to hurt our members and union bust, our unions.

1:36:38

It is unacceptable, and it is ridiculous that the museum leadership isn't here to explain themselves.

1:36:43

We believe in the spirit of collective bargaining and as a institution that receives a state and city funding that they should be here to be accountable

1:36:54

Thank you very much, everyone.

UNKNOWN

1:36:52

to this decision.

1:36:52

Thank you.

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Council member expresses gratitude and empathy to testifiers

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Testimony by Vail Kohnert-Yount, Assistant Director of UAW Region 9A, on Brooklyn Museum Layoffs