Museunions

I promised several times to make a better response to the Museos Unite team about unionising. Out of the recent discussions about Museum Studies graduates, they’ve been kicking around the idea of a Museum Studies Graduate Union. They’ve kinda preempted me slightly with this recent post:

Today, that number has dwindled to around 10 percent and there’s little to suggest that a revival is nigh. Although unions remain fairly strong in the blue-collar world, that world is shrinking. (Can you say “technology”?) Consequently, labor unions don’t wield the political clout they used to.

Sums up my feelings towards a union; they ain’t what they used to be. I don’t see the point in forming a system that no longer has that much to offer. They too bureaucratic, too susceptible to influences and more often than not too lost in their way.

I also don’t see the point of another membership-organisation like the Museum Association or the AAM or such like. There are already plenty of those. I think the idea is to do something new. If the goal is to set the target to improve the world for Musuem Studies Graduates, or improve the up-and-coming talents of the museum industry (new curators, heh), then that should be it. There’s no need to make it more complicated than that. There’s no need to create a charter or a constitution or Heaven-forbid a manifesto. These things won’t ultimately help. I think how Museos Unite have been kicking around the idea of an open-source union because it sounds far more flexible than the limited definition or a union.

How does a union work? Basically, large amounts of people make demands to be negotiated with the only real bargaining chip of striking. It’s a big chip that allows for all sorts of political games, but it’s still one chip. A Museum Graduates Union wouldn’t have this ability so would be a bit toothless and may alienate more than negotiate.

But a loose, flexible organisation with few limiting factors and few simply defined goals? That could achieve something. If only there was a different word than “union”. The other writer on Newcurator, August, has recommended I don’t call them Museohideen. Maybe they don’t need any further branding than “Museo Unite” and concentrate on striving to do everything differently.

I would normally point at the article I wrote about John Robb’s Standing Orders, but I think the terrorism/insurgency link may be too much. (See? I know when a joke goes too far).

What would a Museo Unite group have, lacking political clout? They would have skills. That’s the most important resource and should be used to full effect. Time? Certainly more than your average museum chief. Determination/passion and a clear set of goals, check. Also, as interns and volunteers attached to every museum in the world, they would have eyes and ears to a large set of organisations and would form quite the substantial information network. No, I’m not talking about spying! But sharing without prejudice what works in other places, especially in the realms of interns, volunteers and new workers. James Leventhal pointed to me earlier an article by Leslie Madsen-Brooks about social media and professional development. Like I said in the comments, if you could find a way to measure your development through social media’s challenging patterns to make it more than just being a member of a club…

Then you’d have a very strong organisation that takes its strengths through its innovation.