Employees at Discovery World are forming a union with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union announced Sept. 17.
The union notified Discovery World and the National Labor Relations Board Sept. 17 that around 60 employees will be pursuing unionization, IAM District 10 Director Alex Hoekstra said. Discovery World workers said in a statement they are unionizing to seek better wages and benefits, more career opportunities and transparency in promotions and hiring.
“Collective bargaining will empower us to raise concerns about decisions by management without fear of retaliation,” the statement said.
At this stage, IAM is focusing on educating the employees on next steps and engaging with their issues, Hoekstra said.
Discovery World said in a statement Sept. 17 it acknowledges the workers’ decision to seek unionization and will respect the process.
“Our priority is to maintain strong relationships with our team while also ensuring that the organization remains healthy and sustainable,” Discovery World said in a statement. “Since 2020, we’ve been working hard to ensure our budget is sustainable and that our resources are correctly allocated among our staff, our facilities, including our aquarium in the midst of repairs, and our programming that is focused on achieving our mission.”
The IAM serves more than 600,000 machinists across the United States and Canada in industries including transportation, aerospace and woodworking.
This story has been updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Discovery World workers look to form union
Reporting by Francesca Pica, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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