Storm King Art Center activists Bam Bowen, left, and Adela Goldsmith, right, take New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, center, on a tour of the art center. Bowen works as a team lead in SKAC’s Visitor Services Department, while Goldsmith is a curatorial assistant.
MOUNTAINVILLE — Recognizing the momentum in cultural worker organizing, New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon spent her Labor Day on a tour of Storm King Art Center guided by the newly-organized CSEA members there.
Reardon reached out to members of our union’s Storm King Art Center Local to arrange a visit after learning the group recently finalized its first contracts following eight months of negotiations.
“We came out here to celebrate the 130th anniversary of America’s Labor Day,” Reardon said after concluding her tour of the 500-acre outdoor sculpture park. “It’s a great example of the kinds of workers that need a voice at work.”
A former actor who previously served as president of AFTRA and co-president of SAG-AFTRA following the two unions’ merger, Reardon noted the value in organizing cultural workers who haven’t historically been compensated for the full value of their labor.
CSEA activists Bam Bowen, a team services lead, and Adela Goldsmith, a curatorial assistant, took the lead on accompanying Reardon and her staff on the tour. Bowen and Goldsmith said they appreciated Reardon shining a light on the need to advocate for unions for all.
“It was an honor to welcome Commissioner Reardon to Storm King Art Center, give her a tour, and introduce her to our recently unionized staff,” said Bowen. “Having someone at the state level who has personally experienced the joy and impact of a union makes her support even meaningful, and I am deeply grateful for her visit.”
— Jessica Ladlee
