The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has informed its employees through an internal communication about an upcoming workforce reduction.
As per the message, which was shared with the local NPR station, the museum is facing a significant financial challenge described as an "unsustainable deficit." To achieve "financial sustainability," the institution has decided to proceed with a restructuring plan.
The museum has confirmed that it will reduce its staff by approximately 6.3 percent, translating to around 30 positions, with the layoffs scheduled to take effect this Friday.
In a statement, museum leadership expressed that the decision was not made lightly, emphasizing the need to create a viable business model while remaining committed to their core mission.
The MFA, Boston Union has indicated that they plan to engage in discussions with museum management to explore alternatives to layoffs, aiming to maintain workforce diversity and ensure equitable sacrifices among leadership.
Concerns were raised by the union regarding the timing of the notification about the layoffs, which they received late in the day prior to the announcement. They expressed their apprehension about the impact on their members and requested clarity on the reasons behind the layoffs and potential measures that could have been taken to avoid such drastic actions.
This is not the first time the museum has faced workforce changes; in 2020, it underwent a restructuring that involved voluntary retirements and layoffs, citing similar financial sustainability reasons.
At the time of publication, the museum had not provided further comments regarding this latest development.
