The Oregon Museum of Science and industry is being forced to make temporary layoffs and pay cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
OMSI is a nonprofit organization that relies on revenue from admissions, education, program fees, memberships and facility rentals. With many of those forms of revenue stunted or unavailable due to the pandemic, the museum is forced to temporarily lay off some of its employees, make pay cuts and significant cuts to non-staff operating expenses.
“This is an unprecedented time for OMSI, our community and the rest of the world, and we have had to make some very tough decisions. Today we informed over half of our valued staff members that they are included in a significant number of temporary layoffs,” said Nancy Stueber, president of OMSI. “We are committed to paying the employer portion of their healthcare insurance for a period of time, and our goal is to bring them back to work as soon as possible. This is a difficult situation and it has been a very painful experience for all of us. We wish everyone health and safety in the weeks ahead and look forward to re-opening our doors to the community.”
However, OMSI is still looking for ways it can support the community through these trying times. According to a release, OMSI will use a small team to create a digital STEAM program to support learning at home. It is collaborating with Multnomah County and the state of Oregon to provide school-aged care for essential workers.