During the California Academy of Sciences' anniversary event on Friday, staff members represented by the union, CalAcademy Workers United, were spreading the word about their ongoing struggle negotiating a fair contract with management.

SFist visited the California Academy of Sciences on Friday where attendees were invited to celebrate the museum’s 172nd anniversary with discounted admission and family-friendly activities. Greeting visitors in front of the museum’s entrance were two colorful murals and staff members from the union, CalAcademy Workers United, spreading awareness about its ongoing efforts to negotiate with museum management for higher wages as well as better job security and clearer pathways to promotion, according to the Chronicle.

CalAcademy Workers United formed in July 2023 and has been in negotiations with museum leadership for nearly a year. While some progress has been made — with 27 tentative agreements reached — core issues like fair wages, job security, and staffing remain unresolved. Management points to an $8.7 million budget shortfall as a limiting factor, but union members note that more than half of staff earn below San Francisco’s living wage, even as top executives, including Executive Director Scott Sampson, received significant raises — according to Mission Local, Samson took home $632,626 in 2023.

In recent months, layoffs and restructuring have disproportionately affected the museum’s educational and public-facing departments, with thirty-eight employees accepting severance and four more facing potential layoffs. Remaining staff say their roles have shifted dramatically with little communication, leaving teams stretched thin and morale low.

Tensions escalated further after the museum abruptly shut down its Youth Action for the Planet program — a teen-led climate initiative — just weeks after several youth participants handed out flyers in support of the union. The program’s coordinator, Aleks Liou, was soon placed on leave and later allowed to resign following union-led negotiations. Liou had secured a $250,000 federal grant to continue the program beyond its pilot year, but the museum opted to return the funds, later citing plans to redesign the program to serve Indigenous youth.

The incident sparked backlash from local leaders. In December, the San Francisco Youth Commission unanimously passed a motion urging the mayor and Board of Supervisors to address the museum’s actions, calling the shutdown a “disheartening example of pushback against young people for exercising their voices and participating in social justice movements.”

In response, several former participants have launched a new youth-led organization, Youth Riot Network, to continue their work in climate justice and youth empowerment.

Hopefully the attention that was garnered on Friday for the union's cause will help put pressure on museum management to finally meet its demands.

Images: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

Previously: Claude the Albino Alligator Gets His Own Webcam as Academy of Sciences Rings In 172 Years