Employees at the Penn Museum have unanimously authorized a strike, demanding higher salaries and claiming the university has dragged its feet in contract negotiations. 

The union group, which is part of the same labor federation as the city’s municipal workers who are currently on strike, saw its contract expire at the end of June and has threatened action as early as Wednesday if terms are not met. 

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Penn Museum Workers United Local 397 chapter includes around 50 workers from various departments in the museum, including visitor services, academic engagement, object conservation, financial services and more. 

“This strike authorization paves the way for Penn workers to join the 10,000 [AFSCME District 33] workers currently on strike in Philadelphia,” the group posted last week on social media. “… The working people of Philadelphia deserve more than the crumbs Mayor (Cherelle) Parker and Penn are putting on the table.”   

The group is calling for the largest private employer in the city to increase wages. The average salaries in their bargaining unit is less than $45,000 per year, according to lead union negotiator Sarah Shaw and Local 397 President Halcyone Schiller. 

“The most important terms we’re negotiating for in a fair contract are annual raises that, at a minimum, allow our members to keep up with the cost of living, an adjustment to the lowest-paid jobs that brings them closer to a living wage and increases over time to reward years of service to the museum,” the representatives said in a joint statement. 

Contract negotiations started in the beginning of June. Representatives with Penn Museum did not respond to a request for comment, and a University of Pennsylvania spokesperson declined to comment.

“This has been particularly frustrating in economic negotiations, most of which has been taking place post-contract expiration,” Shaw and Schiller said. “… They’re moving so slowly. … If we have six hours scheduled, maybe 30 minutes of that time is spent actually negotiating.” 

Negotiations are scheduled to pick back up Tuesday, and the union representatives said they are planning an action for 5 p.m. Wednesday if there’s little progress.