Brooklyn Museum fires employees and reduces display

The Brooklyn Museum said Friday it will soon cut 10-13% of its workforce to ease pressure on the financial deficit, which is projected to reach $10 million by the end of the June fiscal year.

Museum director Anne Pasternuck said in a letter sent to staff on Friday afternoon that the museum “experiences strong headwinds: inflation dramatically affects operating budgets, with daily expenses and funding. “We added millions more than that,” she wrote that the pressure was “augmented by the slow recovery after attendance after the pandemic, and the entire field recovery.”

In addition to the layoffs, authorities said senior leaders would take a 10-20% pay cut. The annual number of exhibitions decreases from an average of 12 to an average of 9. And weekday events with attendees and inconsistent funds will be cancelled.

“More simply, our costs increased more rapidly than our revenue,” the letter said. “This involves changing the program, operations and team size to set up the course for long-term sustainability.”

Future layoffs will take place across the museum sector, which will reduce both union and non-union work. They will be the agency's first major cut since 2020, when nearly 30 workers were fired at the start of the pandemic.

Union leaders representing Brooklyn Museum employees said they were interested in the timing of these new cuts. The timing of these new cuts follows a series of expensive events and exhibitions celebrating the museum's 200th anniversary, including a renovated restaurant, gold and a rebranding campaign. .

“The museum is disappointed to choose to balance the budgets of its members' background,” says Wilson Sofranto, president of local 1502, a division of staff in the United States, county, and city, Wilson Sofranto. states.

On Wednesday, the union sent a suspension letter to the museum, sending it to prevent staff from firing employees who represent them without adequate negotiation or prior notice.

In recent years, the Brooklyn Museum has attempted to rebuild its audience after the pandemic led to a decline in attendance. (General admission is free, but the museum recommends a proposed contribution of $20 for adult visitors.)

Last year included an exhibition dedicated to celebrities such as filmmaker Spike Lee and musician Paul McCartney. They also performed a show featuring the art collections of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz.

In the letter, Pasternak said the museum's exhibitions attracted audiences, and the institution nearly doubled its board, increased donations and increased revenues for both contributions and acquisitions. However, the costs were still outweighing revenues. At a staff meeting Friday, the museum said total compensation for employees has increased by $17 million over the past decade.

The museum also became an activist target after 34 people were arrested at a Palestinian parent rally held on the premises last spring. Protesters had assaulted security guards, hurt the artwork and asked civil servants to sell them from Israel. A group of demonstrators was later arrested on hate crimes for destroying the homes of Pasternacks and other museum leaders.

In a letter announcing the layoff, the museum said it is still on track to launch a 2026 renovation project for African art collections.

However, Pasternak and other leaders write that layoffs have become inevitable. “Wages constitute our biggest operating line item — about 70% of our operating budget — and the financial restructuring sadly requires a team cut.”