Workers at Utrecht Art Supply have voted to unionize after the store was bought out by Blick Art Materials, details from their MoveOn petition below.
We work at Utrecht Art Supply on 13th Street in New York City. In addition to being dedicated employees, we are artists who are passionate about art and take pride in providing quality service to our customers. As artists, we have the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to provide our customers with a high level of expertise.
Despite the knowledge we bring to the job and the hard work we put in every day, most of us make less than $10 per hour. On top of that, last year Utrecht was bought by competitor Blick Art Materials. Without any notice, Blick unilaterally slashed our hours. We tried talking to corporate about the impact this would have on many of our lives, but they simply refused to do anything about it.
That’s why we decided to come together and unionize with the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU). We know that by standing together we can make real change.
