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G.U.L.F. has occupied the Guggenheim for May Day

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Members of G.U.L.F. (Global Ultra Luxury Faction)—“a coalition of international artists working to ensure that migrant worker rights are protected during the construction of museums on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi”—have occupied the Guggenheim museum in New York, unfurling a banner that reads “Meet workers’ demands now! May Day 2015.” Animal New York has the story and pictures:

Migrant workers toiling away in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island have been working under under slave-like conditions for at least five years to build branches for world-class institutions, including the Guggenheim and NYU, but warnings from the Human Rights Watch and other activists have fallen on deaf ears. On Friday, a few minutes after 12 PM, a group of about 60 protesters swarmed the Guggenheim in Manhattan to demand accountability from the museum’s management. As of 1 PM, protesters were still inside; a dozen refused to leave and submitted to arrest.

The group is an international coalition of artists and writers known as Global Ultra Luxury Faction (GULF). GULF has staged similar protests at the Guggenheim before, but felt compelled to return on International Workers Day because conditions at the luxury island site have not changed.

In February, the Human Rights Watch issued an 82-page report detailing the abuses workers continue to suffer, and faulted the Guggenheim and others for neglecting to take a stance:

The report details how, five years after Human Rights Watch revealed conditions of forced labor on Saadiyat Island, some employers are withholding workers’ wages and benefits, failing to reimburse them for recruiting fees, confiscating workers’ passports, and housing them in substandard accommodations. In the most serious cases, contractors working for the two government development entities on the NYU and Louvre sites apparently informed United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities about the strike, leading to the arbitrary deportation of several hundred striking workers.

“We are stepping up the pressure,” said artist and GULF co-organizer Amin Husain in a press release ahead of Friday’s protest. “Rather than passing the buck on to Abu Dhabi authorities who have shown scant concern for migrants’ rights, the Foundation should face up to its responsibilities and clean the stain from the Guggenheim’s name.”

GULF’s demands are simple:

1) pay a living wage to its museum workforce;
2) reimburse workers for their crushing recruitment debts;
3) respect their right to self-organize.

According to GULF, the Guggenheim responded to the demands in April, saying, “Your proposals for a compensatory fund, as well as wage and bargaining changes are outside the Guggenheim’s range of authority. They are matters of federal law.”

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An update on the situation courtesy of Hyperallergic:

Update, 2:37pm ET: The museum has tweeted that it will close for the day, though there are still small scheduled group tours coming in. It appears that a lot of staff members have been sent home.

Update, 2:55pm ET: Still about a dozen protesters outside the museum chanting “Listen up Guggenheim,” “Shut it Down,” and other messages, while they are holding up banners with the three demands.

Update, 4:11pm ET: Protesters just spelled out the word “Win” in the Guggenheim lobby:

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One more update: here’s the statement that G.U.L.F. released to coincide with its occupation on Friday:

NEW YORK, NY – Mayday, 2015

Today we successfully occupied the museum with bodies and voices, inside and out. The Guggenheim authorities would rather shut down the museum for the day than talk to their critics. We didn’t come to shut the museum—we came to ask to attend a meeting with the Board of Trustees, and we hope that meeting happens soon. Today is International Workers’ Day. When workers in Abu Dhabi—who are not allowed to organize—go on strike, they may be arrested, beaten, and deported. We repeat the demands for a living wage, a debt jubilee, and the right to organize. We appreciate all the workers we spent time with. On this May Day, we also stand in solidarity with the struggles of workers everywhere, including the museum guards who make $11 an hour, and the groundskeepers who make $9 an hour, which is not a living wage in New York City. The art we brought with us was shared by all but then violently destroyed by the museum. We thank SASI (South Asian Solidarity Initiative), DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving), the Taxi Workers Alliance, the Guerrilla Girls, Mahina Movement, and our allies in the South Asian community who rallied in support outside. This is part of an ongoing campaign, with 52 weeks of actions to come. The museum’ s disdain for the public and criticism will mean that this movement only grows.