Brooklyn Museum employees rally against layoffs amid financial crisis
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — In a show of solidarity, employees of the Brooklyn Museum gathered outside the institution on Thursday to protest significant layoffs planned due to a financial crisis.
The museum is facing a $10 million deficit, which has led to plans to cut a portion of its workforce. This move has sparked concerns about the impact on community access to cultural experiences and the future of the museum's programming.
More Local News
At the heart of the protest is Enrique Mendia, a four-year employee and project manager for the museum's largest free programming event, 'First Saturday.' Mendia is among the union workers facing potential layoffs and attributes the financial woes to mismanagement of funds.
'I'm on the list of the employees to be laid off,' Mendia said, expressing his concern about the broader implications. 'People all over Brooklyn and all over New York City count on it for free programming.'
Mendia criticized the museum's financial priorities, highlighting discrepancies in spending.
'It makes me worried. It makes me sad, it makes me angry. It feels unjust,' he emphasized. 'This is taxpayer money at the end of the day, and there's someone here that directed the museum making over a million dollars.'
More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State
Henry Garrido, executive director of District 37, echoed the sentiments of many protesters by urging the museum to explore alternative solutions to layoffs. 'They should explore every possible alternative solution to prevent the layoffs,' Garrido stated.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso placed some responsibility on city leadership, particularly Mayor Eric Adams, for not providing sufficient funding to support public institutions like the Brooklyn Museum.
'This is a mayor's problem,' Reynoso said. 'It is a public service. This is a public institution that does not charge for anyone to go inside. The people that are supposed to cover those costs are city officials like Mayor Eric Adams. And he has not done that.'
Reynoso is urging both the museum and city officials to negotiate temporary financial solutions until June 30, when additional city funds might become available to prevent layoffs.
In response to the protests, the Brooklyn Museum issued a statement acknowledging the rights of union-represented employees to organize and emphasizing that layoffs were considered only after exploring other financial relief options.
'We respect the rights of our union-represented employees to organize and rally,' the museum stated. 'As we have consistently said, the Brooklyn Museum explored all realistic options for financial relief before turning to layoffs and is actively making adjustments across the whole of the institution to right-size its budget.'
The museum is currently engaged in negotiations with unions regarding the terms of the reductions.
For employees like Mendia, the prospect of losing their jobs means facing immediate challenges.
'I would have to find a new job. I'd get on unemployment and figure things out from there,' Mendia said.
As the situation unfolds, protesters continue to demand transparency and accountability from both museum leadership and city officials.
The mayor's office has released this statement 'The Brooklyn Museum is one of our city's most important cultural institutions, and the mayor's office and Department for Cultural Affairs provide substantial funding in support of their mission to engage the public with their cultural programming. But this sector has faced major headwinds in recent years, including changes in post-pandemic audience habits, shifting priorities for philanthropy, and vastly increased costs due to inflation. These unprecedented challenges are putting cultural organizations across the city and nation at serious risk. We're devastated by the job cuts that the museum's budget shortfalls have forced them to pursue and will work with museum leadership as they navigate these challenges and ensure that the impacted workers receive the support they need.'
For more information on the Brooklyn Museum, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hochul's estranged lieutenant announces he will challenge her in NY governor's race
ALBANY – Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is challenging his estranged boss, incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, in next year's election. Delgado called for 'bold, decisive, transformational leadership' for New York in a video launching his campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, released alongside an interview in The New York Times Monday afternoon. 'It's love of family, it's love of community, it's love of state, it's love of country — and I'm dedicated to that,' Delgado says in the spot. 'That's why I'm running for governor of New York.' The video and Times story were released moments after The Post reported that Delgado was telling allies that he would make his campaign plans public sometime this week. The former Hudson Valley congressman formally split from Hochul earlier this year following significant public disagreements between the two. Delgado first attracted the governor's ire last summer when he publicly called for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. Hochul, at the time, was an outspoken voice in the chorus of Democrats still cheering on the dithering president despite clear evidence of his failing health. Delgado also got out in front of Hochul earlier this year when he called for Mayor Eric Adams to resign amid his swirling corruption scandals. While sources familiar with the two's declining relationship said they were heading towards a public breakup for months, Delgado made it 'social media official' on Feb. 24, suddenly announcing that he wouldn't run for re-election as her No. 2 next year. 'There are a lot of folks in politics who wake up every single day thinking about everything but the damn people,' Delgado told a room full of Democrats in his hometown of Schenectady a day later in what unmistakably resembled a campaign speech. The abrupt announcement prompted Hochul to take away many of Delgado's state perks, like his capitol office and even official email, according to the sources. Since then, Delgado has been using an email address set up for him by the state Senate, which he technically presides over as lieutenant governor, according to a source familiar with the situation. He has spent the last few weeks traipsing around all corners of the state hosting town hall events. A spokesperson for Governor's campaign declined to comment, but referred The Post to a statement from the Hochul-friendly Democratic Governors Association. 'The Governor knows how to take on big fights and win for New York families — and her agenda is overwhelmingly popular with New Yorkers on both sides of the aisle,' the statement from Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper read. 'The Democratic Governors Association is 100 percent behind Governor Hochul as she continues to deliver for New York, take on Donald Trump, and build the operation it will take to beat Republicans up and down the ballot in 2026,' it continued. Delgado would no doubt struggle in an attempt to topple Hochul — who became governor in 2021 after Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace and who was elected to a full term the following year. She has an undeniable advantage in name recognition, a massive $15 million campaign war chest and the benefit of keeping New York's powerful unions and other special interests happy as the incumbent. According to Siena College polling's most recent survey, Delgado would currently receive just 12% of the vote in a matchup including him, Hochul and Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) who is also rumored to be considering a bid in the 2026 race. Hochul won in that simulation, though with only 46% of the vote. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), who posed a bruising primary challenge against Hochul in 2022, was quick to pan Delgado's entry into the race. 'Antonio, you are a talented guy, with a great future. Based upon my experience this may not be the most well-thought out idea!,' Suozzi posted to X. Delgado was Hochul's second pick after her first lieutenant governor, Harlem state Sen. Brian Benjamin (D-Manhattan) resigned while facing charges he accepted bribes from a real estate developer — a case that was eventually dropped. She recently made a point to slam the door shut on any chance she may have to serve with Delgado for another four years by shoving a provision into the state budget that would change New York election law so governors and lieutenant governors run as a ticket during the primary, instead of separately as it worked previously. Hochul's detractors were quick to chime in on Delgado's entry as well. 'Her own Lieutenant Governor that she hand picked is now primarying her which shows she has lost support not just from Republicans and Independents, but Democrat New Yorkers as well,' North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wrote in a statement. 'Her first LG was indicted for public corruption. Her second LG has announced he's running against her. We can't wait to see who she picks as her third LG candidate,' Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) snarked on X.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Queens public school student detained by ICE, second in NYC: Senator
Editor's note: The above video previously aired on May 29. RIDGEWOOD, Queens (PIX11) — A second high school student at a New York City public school has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to New York State Senator Mike Gianaris and State Assemblymember Claire Valdez. The elected officials shared word of the student's detainment in social media posts on Friday. The 11th-grade student from Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, Queens was said to have been apprehended in a courthouse after a routine immigration hearing, Sen. Gianaris shared. More Local News 'A high schooler in my neighborhood has been taken into custody by ICE at an immigration court check-in. His family has not heard from him in days, and has no idea where he is being held,' said Valdez. Sen. Gianaris, Assemblymember Valdez, and Councilmember Jen Gutiérrez have called for the student's immediate release and for him to be reunited with his family. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State 'News of a Grover Cleveland junior who was recently detained after attending their court ordered hearing is infuriating,' Gutiérrez said in a statement posted to social media. 'Apprehending anyone – let alone minors in courthouses, when they are following our laws, our protocols, is unjustifiable,' the statement continued. The 11th grader marks the second NYC public school student to be detained by ICE in the last two weeks. The agency previously took a 20-year-old student named Dylan into custody on May 21. The Venezuelan native was a Bronx high school student who was going through the legal process of seeking asylum. Immigrant advocates and elected officials have also reported that more than a dozen other people have been detained by ICE agents while attending immigration hearings at 201 Varick Street. PIX11 News reached out to NYC Public Schools and ICE for a statement but did not hear back at the time of publishing. Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez Rosa discusses summer readiness plans
NEW YORK (PIX11) — Newly appointed Commissioner of New York City Parks, Iris Rodriguez Rosa, joins PIX on Politics to discuss whether the city is ready for the influx of New Yorkers at the beaches, pools, and parks. Watch the video player for the full interview. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
