As previewed by CultureGrrl last week, the Met has now issued its official statement on its recession-driven staff cuts, which have reduced its full- and part-time work force by 14% since Jan. 1.
You can read the Met’s statement in full, here.
Voluntary retirements accounted for 95 positions and “the Museum has further reduced its work force by 74 union and non-union employees,” according to the announcement. I assume that the latter are involuntary layoffs, but I am still awaiting confirmation (and will update here when I hear). UPDATE: The 74 employees were indeed laid off.
Prior cuts—some 127 positions—came from substantial reductions in retail operations. Some 61 positions were lost “primarily through attrition” (a hiring freeze, in place since Jan. 1).
In all, these actions will pare the Met’s full-and part-time work force to about 2,200 in the fiscal year beginning July 1. The job cuts will create savings of “more than $10 million.”