Union rally targets Walker Art Center

Between a Roy Lichtenstein sculpture and the iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry,” about 100 protesters rallied for workers’ rights Thursday night outside the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. The rally was hosted by the Walker Worker Union. 

Towering over protestors was Mr. Moneybags, a 15-foot-tall puppet operated by three people, that represents “greed and power.” (The puppet was made by the Full Moon Puppet Show mutual aid workshop in Minneapolis.)

Marching up and down Hennepin Avenue, the crowd chanted “Union busting is disgusting” and held signs saying “I am rallying for Gabi” and “I am rallying for Michelle.”

Roman Feldhahn, a lead educator at the Walker Art Center, handed out fliers that advised people to call the Walker executive director, Mary Ceruti. “I’m calling to demand the immediate reinstatement of Michelle Maser and Gabi Brunner,” the recommended phone script reads.

Michelle Maser and Gabriela “Gabi” Bruner say they were let go in March and believe it was due to their union involvement. Maser was a volunteer coordinator at the Walker for more than three years and is the Walker Worker Union president; Bruner was the lead gallery assistant since the summer of 2024 and the union’s secretary.

“Our main ask is to reinstate both of our positions,” Bruner said.

“It’s our official stance that it was an unjust firing,” Bruner said of her own termination.

“We’re also asking for the union busting to stop,” Maser added.

Maser, Bruner and Feldhahn allege that about 50 percent of the bargaining unit has turned over in the past year — a trend they attribute to pushback against organizing efforts.

The Walker declined an interview and provided a statement:

“While Walker Art Center leadership respects the rights of union members to rally, we disagree, in the strongest terms, with the assertions being made regarding union-busting activity. The Walker remains in full compliance with its Collective Bargaining Agreement.”

The statement continued:

“The Walker has not implemented any substantive reductions in staff. In fall 2024, the Walker began a restructuring process across its Visitor and Gallery Experience teams to improve collaboration, coordination and workflow across the division. This process was completed at the end of March 2025 and included the creation and elimination of a small number of roles both union and non-union. No other substantive role-related changes have been implemented, and fluctuations in hours are normal and correlated to each season’s exhibition and program schedule.”

Maser said the reason the Walker gave for her termination is that there was no longer a need for the position of a volunteer coordinator. 

“I was the only worker working with their volunteer pool here at the Walker,” Maser said. ”They’ve since moved all of my work out of the bargaining unit, so clearly there was still a need for my work.”

The rally-goers brought up several other issues, too. Feldhahn, who is also a union co-vice president and steward, says they are asking that Walker stop cutting hours for the gallery assistants through what he calls a new on-call worker position. 

“They’ve created a new job class basically, without going through the union, of creating a part-time, on-call worker,” Feldhahn said. “So, they can basically just not give people hours anymore. We’re asking to keep people’s hours consistent.”

The rally also featured many chairs. A row lined the sidewalk on Hennepin. Protestors also held chair props and signs painted with chairs and stools. 

“The chairs and stools are meant to represent our longest ongoing accessibility fight with management, where workers have not been allowed to sit down, which is a right and accessibility accommodation that they previously had, that has been taken away within the last year and a half,” Feldhahn said.

According to Bruner, shifts run four to eight hours for gallery assistants — the people who keep galleries secure and provide information to visitors.

Feldhahn said the Walker has cited varying reasons for requiring gallery assistants to stand, unless they provide a doctor’s note, including insurance requirements and protecting artwork.

Ruweyda Ahmed, who works at Walker security, and Svea Krisetya, who works in the design store, held signs that said “Union busting is disgusting.” They are not part of the union but wanted to show support for fellow workers. 

“I’ve been to a lot of art museums around the country and all of the GAs there have had the opportunity to sit down,” Ahmed said. “It’s important to protect art, but it’s also like a physical need to sit down.”

“I agree,” Krisetya said. “It’s not causing harm, and it seems like they don’t want to give in for some reason, despite people needing that physical alleviation from the stress.”

The Walker provided a statement to MPR News regarding the seating accommodation policy.

“The Walker Art Center is committed to facilitating a welcoming and engaging experience for our visitors. The job expectations for gallery assistants are developed with both this experience as well as the security of artworks in the galleries in mind. The job requirements for this role are provided with transparency in the hiring and onboarding process, and the Walker does offer pathways to secure accommodations.” 

During a speech to a crowd that was alternately cheering and booing, Bruner and Maser said that all these issues have created a corrosive work environment. 

“This is not how you build a stronger cultural institution. This is how you sow distrust and create chaos,” said Maser, standing in front Mr. Moneybags. “We need management to listen and to work with us on scheduling and on safety, most of all, for the workers to be treated with the respect that they deserve.”