In a First for Architects, a New York City Firm Forms a Union
Employees of Bernheimer Architecture, a 22-person firm, have successfully organized the first private-sector union in the field.
Efforts to unionize architecture workers have long fizzled out — until now.
Photograph: Bloomberg Creative Photos
Architects at a small New York City-based firm have formed the only known private-sector union in the field. Bernheimer Architecture, a 22-person shop known for its affordable housing and residential construction projects, announced on Thursday that they have voluntarily recognized the union, which will be part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
The unionization, first reported by the New York Times, is part of a broader push among architects to organize for better conditions, a movement that began about two years ago with an unsuccessful union campaign at SHoP Architects, a New York City firm with a global footprint. In May 2022, the Architectural Workers United campaign, which led Bernheimer’s push, told Bloomberg CityLab that architecture workers from at least six other prominent firms were also considering unionization at the time.