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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Vail Kohnert-Yount, Assistant Director of UAW Region 9A, on Brooklyn Museum Layoffs
1:37:04
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130 sec
Vail Kohnert-Yount, Assistant Director of UAW Region 9A, testified against the recent layoffs at the Brooklyn Museum, emphasizing the impact on union workers and the institution's collections. She called for elected officials to intervene and save the workers' jobs, highlighting the UAW's commitment to fighting for their members.
- Hundreds of union workers and community members protested the layoffs of nearly 50 staff members from UAW Local 2110 and DC37.
- The museum's management was criticized for not exhausting all options or bargaining in good faith with the union before implementing layoffs.
- Kohnert-Yount stressed the political implications, stating that the UAW will remember which elected officials stood up for their members during future elections.
Vail Kohnert-Yount
1:37:04
Hi.
1:37:04
Yes.
1:37:04
My name is Vail Konark Yahn, and I'm the assistant director of region nine a of the UAW covering New York City.
1:37:11
The a in UAW, of course, stands for auto, but in New York City, it could also stand for the arts because UAW Local twenty one ten represents thousands of workers at museums and cultural institutions in the city, including a 70 staff at the Brooklyn Museum, some of whom you just heard from.
1:37:28
On Tuesday night, hundreds of union workers and community members showed up to protest the recent layoffs impacting nearly 50 full and part time staff members who are members of UAW Local twenty one ten and DC thirty seven.
1:37:42
And it was incredible to see so many of the people at this hearing, there in person on Tuesday.
1:37:47
It's absolutely unacceptable for the museum to lay off these workers.
1:37:51
It's especially outrageous that, you know, from management who have not only failed to plan for, but also contributed to the budgetary shortfall to do so when they haven't exhausted every other option or even bothered to bargain in good faith with our union and starting by slashing workers essential to maintaining their collections who make less than 6% of what the executive director makes shows how just how deeply ill considered and wrong this decision is.
1:38:16
It's bad for the staff and bad for the institution and bad for its collections.
1:38:20
And if there's one thing you should know about the UAW, it's that our members will always fight and fight hard for our jobs.
1:38:27
We have a saying in the UAW by former president Walter Ruther who said there's a direct relationship between the ballot box and the bread box, and what the union fights for and wins at the bargaining table can be taken away in the legislative halls.
1:38:40
We at the UAW know this very well, and it's never been more relevant than today.
1:38:45
We just cannot normalize layoffs and the decimation of our public services and institutions like this, not in Brooklyn and not anywhere else.
1:38:53
So we really need our elected officials to stand up and use your power to save these workers' jobs and not let union members be targeted for sacrifice.
1:39:02
And we will remember those who stood up for our members when when we go to the ballot box.
1:39:06
Thank you to everyone who has participated in this hearing, and I appreciate, the opportunity to, speak on behalf of our membership.
1:39:13
Thank you.