SAIC Public Letter
Dear colleagues,
We believe the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s vision of a just, compassionate, and inspired society must begin with an inclusive environment and respectful treatment of all of its employees. As a School community, we have acknowledged that our institution has historically been built on unequal foundations. While we have pledged to dismantle these unequal structures, we believe that SAIC currently operates on a system of hierarchy and opaque decision-making that undermines its stated goals and values and further entrenches these inequities. We believe there can be no equity without power sharing, and that unionizing presents an opportunity for us to disrupt our entrenched systems and move towards a more agile system of shared governance. Therefore, we, the undersigned—staff members from various departments and diverse roles across the institution—are uniting to form our union with AFSCME Council 31. By negotiating a fair contract with management, we will work to realize the School’s potential as a true leader among its peers.
We assert that all School of the Art Institute workers deserve:
a voice in the decisions that affect us;
fairer wages and benefits;
transparency around compensation and advancement, and equal access to these opportunities regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, economic status, and other diverse backgrounds;
safe working conditions, agreed-upon hours, clearly defined roles, and adequate resources to perform our jobs; and
a workplace free of harassment and microaggression.
Through the collective voice of the Art Institute of Chicago Workers United, we will advocate for an equitable, sustainable, and transparent workplace for SAIC employees at every level. We want to be heard—and we want to collaborate—in a productive, open, and supportive exchange that will foster a community that values all of our work.
We ask you to join our collective campaign and this historic opportunity for change. The union is not an outside party negotiating for us; we employees are the union, taking responsibility for our livelihoods. Individually, our voices are quiet and hold little sway, but when we put trust in each other, we can speak loudly and powerfully on our own behalf now and in the future. We urge you to vote yes to unionizing.
