Shedd Aquarium employees launch union drive

Employees at the Shedd Aquarium announced plans to unionize Thursday, the latest in a series of unionization campaigns at Chicago’s prominent cultural institutions in recent years. 

In a public letter, 60 people — or about 20% of union-eligible employees at the aquarium — said they’ve faced work-life imbalance, high staff turnover, financial struggles and a lack of communication from management, with “little tangible response.” They said these issues have led to burnout, low morale and decreased animal welfare.