Museum of History & Industry workers vote to unionize
Oct 9, 2026, 5:05 PM | Updated: 5:40 pm
The MOHAI Armory building at Lake Union Park. (Photo: Dllu via Wikimedia Commons)
(Photo: Dllu via Wikimedia Commons)
Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) workers have voted to unionize.
According to The Seattle Times, nonprofessional workers voted 16-1 Thursday in favor of forming MOHAI Workers United.
Employees in education, programs, special events, and visitor services are classified as nonprofessional workers.
The vote follows an organizing campaign announced earlier this fall. Workers cited concerns about pay, staffing shortages, and employee turnover, according to earlier reporting by The Seattle Times.
Organizers said they wanted a union that would advocate for better working conditions for employees throughout the museum.
Election results will be certified in the coming days, according to The Seattle Times.
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MOHAI joins other Seattle museums with unionized workers
Last year, workers at the National Nordic Museum in Ballard unionized.
Seattle Art Museum employees formed a large-scale union in June 2026. That vote was 97-6 in favor of unionizing, according to a National Labor Relations Board tally reported by Urgent Matter. The group includes employees at the downtown museum, Seattle Asian Art Museum, and Olympic Sculpture Park.
Its security staff also unionized. Those workers organized in 2022 and secured their first contract in 2024 following a 12-day strike.
