Interactive art and psychedelia intertwine at Meow Wolf, a renowned brand that connects communities of EDM fans and art lovers alike. But for employees of the immersive events company and members of the Meow Wolf Workers Collective union, unexpected challenges are arising.
The company is laying off 165 employees and cutting expenses by 10%, according to the Santa Fe Reporter. Meow Wolf let go of 201 employees at the outset of the pandemic, roughly four years ago. Since then, they’ve expanded to an additional location in Texas, hosted their branded Vortex Festival and threw an array of electronic music shows in Denver and Santa Fe, among other major cities.
“There is no easy way to break this news,” Meow Wolf CEO Jose Tolosa reportedly wrote in an internal company email. “On Wednesday [April 17], Meow Wolf will be announcing that we are cutting expenses by approximately 10% and reducing our workforce in order to right size the business, fund our growth and continue driving our future success.”
Despite the layoffs and budget cuts, the company will still expand, per the email. “Expansion is still an important part of our business strategy, and these changes will enable us to continue to grow in a way that is smart and sustainable,” Tolosa added.
The Meow Wolf Workers Collective (MWWC) union expressed their frustration with the news.
“We believe the company knows it’s violating the collective bargaining agreement and are doing it anyway,” MWWC President Roz Rosvold said in a statement. “There is a process outlined in our agreement by which they must handle layoffs and they’re not engaging in that process.”
“I would say this is just the cost of doing business, and we’re not shocked at this point,” added MWWC Secretary Treasurer Jerome Morrison. “This is really draconian because we spent a year negotiating a contract for them to outright ignore it.”
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