For the First Time in 80 Years, the U.S. Will Have a Private Sector Architecture Union

From steelworkers to autoworkers, unions have been a massive force in both American construction and politics. Yet after a 40-year decline in union membership, more workplaces have, in recent years, begun new campaigns to collectively bargain for better conditions. In 2021, a small but significant wave of architecture firms coalesce under Architectural Workers United, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW). One such firm, Bernheimer Architecture (BA) in New York, launched a campaign in 2021 to unionize its practice. After nearly a year and a half, the team announced last week that it has completed contract negotiations and has ratified its new employment contract—the first of its kind in 80 years. 

Like much of the social upheaval that occurred amid the pandemic lockdowns, the decision to unionize was made by architects at BA as workers went remote. The firm went fully hybrid and began to grow as it took on new affordable housing projects, says Ayman Rouhani, an architect who started at the firm just prior to the pandemic. But the firm, he says, already had an exceptional workplace culture compared to many other practices. 

"There was always a culture of work-life balance. And I think that was one of the most unique things that we all instantly recognized when we got here," he explains. Kolby Forbes, also an architect at Bernheimer, agrees. "BA has always had a high retention rate, which you don’t typically see at architecture firms," she says. "It was really interesting to see people being at a firm for five-plus years and still enjoying it. Still learning, still growing, being really happy." 

That’s not the case in many practices. "Horror stories," as Rouhani calls them, abound: Long hours, meager pay, and workplace abuses often characterize the industry; unionizing to improve those conditions can be a solution. In late 2021, architects at SHoP—a prominent design practice in New York—attempted to unionize but dropped their campaign just two months after it launched and "was met with a powerful anti-union campaign," according to The New York Times. Then BA workers saw an opportunity, says Rouhani.  

"We realized that there was something different about how BA operated and how we were humanized as employees," Rouhani says. "But we also knew that this should be a model, and this should be the standard of how all architecture practices operate."

Unionizing, Rouhani and Forbes say, became a mechanism through which they could codify the firm’s already-positive workplace into a contract and to demonstrate to the profession that "you could still have a work-life balance and still have a productive firm. They don’t need to be mutually exclusive," says Forbes. 

After the BA workers announced their decision to unionize, the firm’s leadership voluntarily recognized the union, meaning that management had no desire to contest it and force employees to hold a vote. BA principal Andrew Bernheimer told The New York Times, "We know that architecture is a discipline and profession that has a legacy of exploitation. I am of the opinion that one possible way for things to improve is for educators and professionals to show that they value the people who make all of our architecture happen." Voluntary recognition was surprising to many in the profession: At both SHoP and Snøhetta (where workers also attempted to unionize in 2023) unionizing attempts were crushed after management forced an election—resulting in claims of retaliation and an unfair labor practice suit that IAMAW later filed with the National Labor Relations Board. But the voluntary recognition at BA sent its workers straight into the bargaining process. 

For a few months prior to meeting with management, workers at BA conducted surveys and gathered together to create a list of priorities. Forbes, who joined the firm’s bargaining committee, says that issues like team structure and work hours were top of the list. "We wanted to think about the way that we were structuring our projects, especially because our firm falls into this category of not necessarily being a small firm, nor a very large firm, but we’re working on larger projects," she says. But the Covid era, which took BA from a small firm to a midsize practice, did lead to some growing pains. "We really wanted to think about the way that these projects are being structured and how staff could begin to be mentored." 

After more than a year of negotiations, the twelve architects composing the bargaining unit ratified a contract—every member of the unit voted in favor. Though Andrew Daley, an associate organizer with the IAMAW, noted that management has not yet signed off on the agreement, Forbes and Rouhani are excited for what it would guarantee. Two items, in particular, represent fundamental shifts in typical firm practices: First, the contract guarantees a 36-hour work week, which, project permitting, could be completed in four days, Fobes says. They also solidified "just cause" employment, which requires the employer to prove there is good reason to terminate an employee.

"Just cause is very exciting," says Forbes. "Having those protections in place feels huge, especially for architecture firms, where a lot of firms work on the model of turnover—letting people go when they need to, hiring people when they need to—you feel like you’re at the whim of your employer, which doesn't provide for good working conditions," she explains. The contract also includes layoff and recall policies that stipulate precisely how layoffs operate and can require employers to rehire laid off employees when they need to re-staff. Daley alludes to a total structural shift in the "tried and true method of at-will employment." 

But beyond the typical nitty-gritty legalese inherent to employment contracts that will shift workers’ immediate working conditions, Rouhani emphasizes that their final contract will signal to the industry that the future of practice can be different. "Whether you’re a unionized firm, whether you’re not but you’re interested, and even if you’re not at a unionized practice, I think there is a path towards collective action, being your own advocate, and not settling for the status quo," he says. "We should take ownership of the future of our profession." 

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Cover Image Credit: Klaus Vedfelt, DigitalVision / Getty Images