After Weeks of Protests, Brooklyn Museum Unions Avert Layoffs

After weeks of rallies, negotiations, and even a special oversight hearing at City Hall, District Council 37, one of the unions representing employees at the Brooklyn Museum, says it has reached an agreement with leadership to avoid highly scrutinized layoffs impacting nearly 50 workers.

In an email press release today, March 10, a week before the staff cuts were set to go into effect, DC 37 said the museum agreed last night to voluntary separation packages and retirement incentives — alternatives the union has long been advocating for. It’s unclear whether these terms will apply to all workers in the union. Hyperallergic has contacted DC 37 for comment.

“We secured an agreement that is fair and results in no layoffs for our members,” said Henry Garrido, executive director of DC 37. “The outcome of these negotiations is a testament to the power of union representation — when we fight together, we win. We will continue pushing for sustainable funding for the city’s cultural institutions.”

The voluntary separation package will include three weeks’ pay for every year of service, health insurance paid for by the museum for up to four months, and a reference letter from management to assist in finding new employment, according to DC 37’s statement.

These terms will also apply to workers in UAW Local 2110, the museum’s other union, the statement said. It is unclear whether they will apply to six workers in the group of 47 who do not have union representation. Hyperallergic has contacted Local 2110 for comment.

The agreement comes in the midst of a one-month saga that began with unions learning of expected layoffs just days before Brooklyn Museum Director Anne Pasternak confirmed the news in an all-staff meeting on February 7. Citing a projected $10 million budget deficit, Pasternak laid out a plan to address the institution’s “significant cash flow problem,” including programming reductions and salary cuts of 10 to 20% for senior leadership. But she stressed that layoffs were unavoidable, with salaries making up a significant portion of the museum’s operational budget and city funding that “has not kept pace” with DC 37 salaries in particular.

Last week, after the second union rally outside the museum drew over 100 people, Pasternak informed staff that the timeline for layoffs would be extended by one week pending a possible financial boost from the city, buying workers a bit more time to bargain. It’s not immediately clear whether the museum was able to secure a funding increase.

Hyperallergic has contacted the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Brooklyn Museum for comment.

This is a developing story.