In a public statement issued Tuesday evening, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art announced the layoff or reduced schedules of 55 staff members, to take effect, an employee confirmed, on June 8. This number includes both union and non-union employees, joining the 131 on-call employees SFMOMA laid off April 8. The latest phase of layoffs will impact departments across the museum.
SFMOMA has been closed since March 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic and now faces an estimated $18 million deficit. In late March, the museum announced the layoffs of on-call staff and the planned layoff or furlough of an additional 191 regular staff beginning May 1.
But shortly before furlough took effect, the museum received $6.2 million through the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, Hyperallergic reported, allowing them maintain employment and shift the furlough date to June 30.
Shortly before the museum received the PPP loan, staff issued an open letter calling on the museum to do everything in its power to retain all staff members during the pandemic. Of the loan, the letter states, “While this is a temporary reprieve for SFMOMA workers, we know that this simply kicks the can down the road.”
Employees who received layoff notices today will retain their full salary and benefits through June 30, thanks to the PPP loan. (SFMOMA is eligible for loan forgiveness, per the CARES Act, if 75% of the funds are used for payroll costs during the eight-week period of coverage.)
The museum’s statement concludes: “We anticipate reopening sometime this summer based on City of SF reopening protocols with reduced hours, a revised exhibition schedule and a streamlined program.”
— Sarah Hotchkiss (@sahotchkiss)