Empire Stores by STUDIO V Architecture. Image courtesy: STUDIO V Architecture
Employees at New York City-based STUDIO V Architecture have filed for an election with the NLRB to obtain union certification. The move was announced in a statement carried by Architectural Workers United. The group, comprising designers, architects, and operations staff, said they made the decision “because of the pride and commitment we feel toward our firm and our profession.”
“As members of Studio V, we believe in the ethos of our firm to create equitable communities,” the statement reads. “We think that these values can and should apply towards our workplace and the industry at large. Our union will empower us to have a say in the things that impact our working conditions and livelihoods.”
The group’s petition to the NLRB was filed on Wednesday, April 22nd, via the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District 15.
“Both employers and employees in the field of architectural work face constraints and challenges beyond the control of any individual firm,” the statement added. “Just as with the work we do, we start by asking questions, and strive to bring clarity to the challenges posed by them. Our unionization efforts are as much about engaging in the ever growing movement for a more sustainable profession, as it is about upholding what we cherish in our workplace.”
The move comes in the same month that New York City-based Sage & Coombe Architects unanimously approved a collective bargaining agreement, becoming the second architecture firm in the U.S. to unionize.
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