In a letter to the community, Director Christopher Bedford blamed the museums financial challenges on, Amongst other things. A downturn in tourism and local traffic.
Twenty-six of the 29 laid off employees are members of the Professional Employees International Union Local 29. The unexpected announcement was made amid ongoing bargaining efforts between union workers and museum management.
According to a union member, the union wanted to solidify protections for vacation days and bridge the gap between the highest and lowest earners.
Coming on the heels of the announcement of nationwide cancellations of National Endowments for the Arts Grants, the layoffs come at a critical time for the Bay Area Arts community. This month 28 Bay Area non-profit arts organizations have received notices of the sudden cancellation of Grants from the National Endowments For The Arts.