Unionised staff at the New Museum in New York have voted to ratify a five-year labour agreement, ending a bitter and protracted dispute with management over pay and benefits. The roughly 70 members of the unit, part of UAW Local 2110, approved the deal after weeks of fraught negotiations that twice brought them close to the picket line. The agreement delivers an average 8 percent wage increase for full-time employees in its first year, with annual salaries set in four tiers from $46,000 to $68,500 depending on title and seniority. Part-time staff will see their hourly pay rise by 15 percent on average, followed by 3 percent increases in later years. The contract also adds paid time off, lowers health-care costs, and creates a labour-management committee charged with staff diversity and workplace safety, with an annual presentation to a subsection of the museum's board. Tensions had escalated when the union voted late last week to strike if no agreement was reached, accusing the museum of hostile bargaining and of dismissing demands for guaranteed health care, safer working conditions and a $46,000 salary floor. The threat forced marathon weekend talks, culminating in a 14-hour session on Saturday that produced the outline of the deal, which took effect on October 1. Dana Kopel, a senior editor and union member, told artnet News the group was 'really proud of this contract,' describing it as a solid foundation for a first agreement. The museum said in a statement it had invested in its staff and would continue to do so to support a diverse and thriving culture. The settlement is the latest in a series of hard-won labour victories across New York's museum sector this week.