Aquarium workers to vote on potential unionization after voluntary recognition is rejected.

About a month after union organizers sent a request for voluntary recognition of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Workers United (MBAWU) union, which would represent all non-management staff at the Aquarium, the request was denied by Aquarium management. Executive Director Julie Packard, who recently announced her retirement, sent a message to Aquarium employees stating: “We want to be sure we honor each of your voices… That’s why holding a secret ballot election is the best path forward.”

There are two main ways workers can form a union with a private company, says Shane Anderson, organizing director with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, one of the largest labor unions in the country which is representing MBAWU. The first is through voluntary recognition if a majority of workers show support, and the second is through a formal union election filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

“Really what they’re doing is forcing workers to vote twice,” Anderson says. “I think a lot of our leaders were disappointed in management’s decision because the Monterey Bay Aquarium is such a stalwart supporter of ocean conservation and a leader on a lot of progressive fronts. We figured that they would also do the right thing and stand by their workers.”

Aquarium workers will vote by mail by April 18, or onsite at the Aquarium on March 26-27. Ballots will be counted on Monday, April 21.

“The beauty of the NLRB election route is that it doesn’t really matter what management wants,” says Anderson. “It only matters how the workers vote. If the workers vote to unionize, then there will be a union.”