Cleveland Museum of Natural History Staff Plan to Unionize Amid Claims of Toxic Work Environment

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History Credit: DLR Group

To the average observer, the newly renovated and expanded Cleveland Museum of Natural History — the Wade Oval institution packed with hominid skeletons and dinosaur bones and endless exhibits — seems to be thriving in past few years.

Last December, CEO Sonia Winner and leadership unveiled CMNH’s $150 million makeover, complete with new spaces positing philosophical questions—“What Happens When Climates Change?”, “How Big Is a Billion Years?”

It was a big moment for one of Cleveland’s cultural staples, lauded by local media and patrons who shared in the revelry, including Bill Nye’s visit to the museum last month to speak in front of a sold-out crowd.

But reports internally and leaking out on social media perhaps beg a more pertinent question relating to the workers behind CMNH’s new image and operations: What Happens When, After Years of an Alleged Hostile Work Environment, Employees Decide to Unionize?

Behind the displays Balto the sled dog and beyond Yoga Night, that is what seems to be happening.

An email to Scene from an unnamed former employee shared descriptions of goings on amongst curators, interns, guides and higher-ups that paint a somewhat volatile picture of the culture at CMNH, from accusations of sexual misconduct to safety concerns, rampant understaffing and a financial quagmire linked to some $80 million in debt service.

“The once-respected scientific institution is grappling with significant challenges, including mismanagement, allegations of discrimination, and a deteriorating workplace culture,” the email read.

“The leadership team, lacking an understanding or appreciation of science, has shifted the institution’s focus away from its core, community-based mission toward a corporate, profit-driven model,” it continued. “This shift has compromised the institution’s integrity, leading to the loss of talent, declining morale, and a reduced ability to serve the community.”

Eighty-seven employees have left CMNH since Winner took the helm in 2018, including four CFOs and three directors of Human Resources. Three curator positions remain unfilled, the email also claimed.

Such complaints, linked to an opinion that management operates in a my-way-or-the-highway philosophy, have led some staff to consider unionizing as a way to push back against Winner’s rigidity leading CMNH through its pricey new makeover.

Along with asking for cost-of-living raises in the process—anything to stop losing talent, the former employee said.

“For an already beleaguered staff, the phrase ‘changing the culture’ can feel ominous, potentially signaling further suppression of dissent rather than addressing the root causes of dissatisfaction,” they wrote. “Many employees live in constant fear of being fired if they step out of line or fall out of favor with the CEO or any senior leadership member, even if they are otherwise strong performers.”

Disgruntled employees sent the museum’s board a letter, in November 2023, warning of a “dangerous trajectory” CMNH was heading in, with “irreversible consequences for years to come.”

An investigation of 30 employees followed. A month later, the museum’s curator of entomology sued CMNH in federal court, alleging she was wrongly fired after refusing to hand over texts between her and another curator accused of sexual harassment. (The suit was eventually dismissed.)

The emailer told Scene that 70 percent of CMNH staff have signed union cards as of Friday afternoon. It’s unclear if their push to vote will be approved, or when that voting could happen.

A spokesperson for CMNH did not respond to questions from Scene as of Friday evening.