As a former employee at MPM--the institution where I cut my 'museum teeth'--I am saddened by the state of affairs at the venerable institution which is rapidly approaching it's 125th Anniversary...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Public Museum lays off 23% of its staff
56 get pink slips in cost-cutting move
By LARRY SANDLER
Posted: May 23, 2005 (www.jsonline.com)
The Milwaukee Public Museum is laying off 56 employees - less than half the number recommended by consultants, but still more than one of every five workers at the troubled institution, museum and union officials said Monday.
Although details of the layoffs remain unclear, early numbers suggest the museum is slicing into its administrative ranks more deeply than its union-represented work force.
But the curatorial and exhibits staffs would still be cut in half, said Rick Regazzi, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 526, which represents most museum employees. That is still "significantly less than the original recommendation" to eliminate 80% of the researchers who provide the scientific basis for exhibits, said Jim Krivitz, the museum's executive vice president.
Those layoffs alone, however, aren't enough to solve the museum's financial crisis, Krivitz said. Other cost-saving measures, possibly including wage or benefit cuts, remain under discussion with AFSCME, Krivitz and Regazzi said.
Regazzi voiced fears that the additional cuts on the table would still fall short of the amount needed, triggering a second round of layoffs.
After the museum racked up a multimillion-dollar deficit in the fiscal year that ended Aug. 30 and appeared on track for more red ink this year, consultants from Chicago investment banking firm Starshak Welnhofer & Co. advised cutting $7 million in annual spending, including the elimination of 119 of 245 jobs, or 49% of the staff.
Museum employees said that chopping that deeply would threaten the quality of the museum and jeopardize their ability to care for the 6.2 million objects in its collection. Museum President Michael Stafford promised that the Starshak report would be only a starting point for a final plan that would cut fewer jobs and would be more sensitive to the needs of the public and of the collection.
Top museum administrators then came up with recommendations that were discussed with union representatives over the weekend, Krivitz said. Layoff notices went out to non-union employees Monday and will go to union-represented employees today, he said.
Of the 56 employees being laid off, 32 are represented by AFSCME, including 21 full-timers and 11 part-timers, said Krivitz and Rich Abelson, executive director for the union's Council 48. Another three workers belong to the building trades union and 21 are not represented by unions, Krivitz said.
That means the museum is cutting 19% of its unionized work force but 34% of its non-union administrative staff, Abelson said. Not all non-represented staffers being cut are managers; some are administrative assistants or marketing employees.
Museum officials also are counting a 57th employee, a vice president who stepped down recently and will not be replaced, in the figures, for a total of 22 non-represented employees, Krivitz said.
Among those being cut are 11 of 17 union-represented curators and one of six curatorial managers, Regazzi said. The Starshak recommendation to cut 28 of 35 jobs in that area appears to include support staff or vacant jobs, he said.
Also hard-hit is the exhibits staff, which is losing five of 10 union-represented workers and one of three non-represented employees, Regazzi said.
In addition to those 57 jobs, museum officials and consultants are in disagreement over whether the total number of job cuts should include other jobs that were already vacant and won't be filled, he said. It was not clear Monday how many such vacancies existed.
The 57 job cuts would save $2.85 million a year, Krivitz said. With this fiscal year nearly three-quarters over, however, the full impact of those cuts would not be realized immediately, said Krivitz and Steve Mokrohisky, County Executive Scott Walker's chief of staff.
Another $2.42 million a year in spending would be cut from areas other than personnel, Krivitz said. Details on those cuts were not available.
Together, those cuts add up to $5.27 million of the $7 million that consultants say is needed to balance the museum's budget. Krivitz and Mokrohisky stressed that the plan was "a work in progress" and some figures could change.
Still to be seen is how the museum's bankers will react to the spending cuts. Stafford and county officials have said both lenders and donors will have to help out to return the museum to a sound financial footing.
Walker has said additional county property tax support is not an option.
"Our primary concern is that the museum continues to operate without putting taxpayers at risk," Mokrohisky said.
MYSTERY OF THE NILE, a brand new OMNIMAX® feature, documents the first-ever descent of Africa’s Blue Nile and Nile Rivers. Join acclaimed adventurer, Pasquale Scaturro, on this 3,250-mile expedition - from the river’s source in Ethiopia to its dramatic end at the Mediterranean Sea. Visit unknown lands, unseen cultures and thousands of years of history. For information, tickets or to become a member of Cincinnati Museum Center, call (513) 287-7000 or (800) 733-2077 or visit www.cincymuseum.org.
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
