The Noguchi museum renovation was the second U.S. architectural office to be led by a private firm.
This week, Sage and Coombe Architects workers announced they had joined Architectural Workers United (ATU), an affiliate of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. SCA Union is now the country’s second private-sector architecture union after workers at Bernheimer Architecture formed theirs in 2022. The management of both firms voluntarily recognized the unions, eliminating the need to hold elections through the National Labor Relations Board.
Sage and Coombe lists 14 employees on its website, as reported by Architect Magazine, the firm’s small size and “collegial nature” fostered a smooth organizing process.
The victory comes at the heels of Snøhetta’s union election loss earlier this year, after which organizers at Architectural Workers United filed an Unfair Labor Practice with the NLRB, alleging that firm management unlawfully discriminated against several employees because of their support for union organizing.
Top photo: Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, designed by Sage and Coombe Architects. Courtesy Tdorante10/Creative Commons
Related Stories
