Welcome to Philly: New head of Art Museum arrives in the midst of a historic walkout

On Tuesday, the second day of the first staff-wide strike in the history of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Sasha Suda, the brand-new head of the old museum, welcomed managers and others at a breakfast meet and greet at the museum espresso bar, off the north entrance.

Only feet away outside, many members of Suda’s staff marched in a picket line, apparently unseen by the new director who remained within the building, speaking with managers and nonunion staff.

“PMA what’s to hide? Workers are exploited inside,” chanted the strikers holding up signs and cheering when horns were honked by supportive drivers. When William Peterson, the museum’s chief operating officer and a museum negotiator crossed the line and entered the building for the reception, rounds of boos rose up all around.

The museum was closed, as it is on Tuesdays, but strikers were out in force, hoping to grab the attention of the new director, or at least catch a glimpse of her. But Suda did not make an appearance, according to picketers.

A reporter from The Inquirer, seeking to speak with the director, was prevented from doing so by a museum spokesperson who said “we want to let her settle in” before she speaks publicly.

“She has just arrived and it is too early for her to comment at this time,” the spokesperson later wrote in an email. “She knows that the museum deeply values its staff, and that our negotiating team is committed to reaching an agreement, as the institution continues to serve our community.”

» READ MORE: Workers at Philadelphia Museum of Art are on strike; museum is open

That said, there is no negotiating session scheduled for this week until Friday, a week after the last session. The museum will be closed Wednesday, but reopens Thursday through Monday.

Management said that it was ready to return to the bargaining table, but that it was up to the union to make the overture because they “walked out” of the bargaining sessions last week.

Union leaders said they had consistently told management that they were ready to return to the table at any time.

The museum board is meeting Tuesday, but officials characterized the meeting as “a briefing” and did not expect any new proposals to come from it.

Union leaders said the main issues involve wages and health-care benefits. Most noneconomic matters have been resolved, they said.

“From our perspective, they told us they couldn’t, wouldn’t move on any of the economic issues,” said Adam Rizzo, president of the PMA union, AFSCME DC 47 Local 397. “And when we said, ‘Well, come back to us when you can,’ they never said it was a final offer and they never claimed they couldn’t afford it. So that’s kind of where we’re at.”