Seattle Press on Line - Pacific Science Center Cuts Staff in <i>Titanic</i>'s Wake

Pacific Science Center Cuts Staff in Titanic's Wake

By Sara Longley

Leigh Simpson, Jeremy Topping (with Laid Off sign), Jonathan Wright and Eric Camp demonstrate against the Science Center’s sudden move.

Oct 25, 2001 -- "[We] believe that unionization is neither necessary nor beneficial for our employees..." -- 2000 Pacific Science Center news release

"It is with great regret that Pacific Science Center must announce a reduction in its workforce..." - October 15, 2001 Pacific Science Center press statement

On October 15, the day after its hugely successful Titanic exhibit ended, 67 Pacific Science Center (PSC) staffers were called into a meeting and told their jobs were being eliminated. An additional 22 positions that had been open will not be filled. The total number of positions cut is nearly 25 percent of the Science Center workforce.

PSC Associate Director of Education Dennis Schatz calls it a "reorganization," saying that the functions of the positions that were cut will be taken up by remaining staff. Though the Visitor Education Department no longer exists, Schatz says there will still be science demonstrations, planetarium shows and other programs--just not as many of them. "We still have a large education staff," he says. Floor staff have been cut to one full-time planetarium staff person--"he can do all the shows"--and "seven or eight" part-time people doing demonstrations. Regular visitors will see fewer scheduled programs, but school field trips and other group programs will not be affected.

On Saturday, October 20, about half of the newly-laid-off workers gathered at the Science Center's main gate for a noon demonstration. The former staffers threw their uniforms into the Science Center fountains in a symbolic protest. Several of the remaining Science Center staff walked out to join them in solidarity. The former science educators handed out a strongly-worded flyer that reads, in part, "The administration, in effect, cut out the heart of the Science Center.

Science Center uniforms float in the fountains after former staffers symbolically threw them in during the demonstration.

"You, the visitor, will no longer see us, the trained educators and workers who provided service and science education inside. Many of us have dedicated years of our lives to the Science Center. The majority of us worked 'part time,' often over 40 hours a week for a salary of under eight dollars an hour without benefits. We did not work for profit or glamour, but because we loved our jobs and loved to teach and interact with the public, especially the kids."

Fifty-three part time staff and 14 full time staff were laid off.

Former Lead Science Demonstrator Paul Barrett believes there's "something fishy" about which staffers were cut. He says most of the people laid off had been active in a drive to unionize PSC's part-time staff last summer. Upper management reacted by distributing anti-union memos in with employee paychecks and "training" managers to keep staff from displaying pro-union buttons or information--tactics that were ruled unfair labor practices by the National Labor Relations Board. The unionization petition was eventually withdrawn, but the divisiveness of the struggle remained.

The Monday morning announcement was sudden, but Schatz says it was done in order to lessen the difficulty of transition. "We didn't want people waiting in suspense to see if their job would be cut," he says. He attributes the cuts to several things, among them the general economic downturn and anticipated loss of donations, the close of the Titanic exhibit, and the shock of September 11. "No one likes it," he says, "They were great staff, talented people who did a lot for the institution." He added that directors are taking pay cuts and other staff will not see merit increases this year.

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Jeff Jackson	Oct 26, 2001	Seattle,WA.	exhibit maintenance (why, you
As a current employee of P.S.C. I was very pleased to see a balanced story about this situation. Being part of the organising effort referred to in the story taught me that, labor issues rarely receive such treatment. Of course there's way more to the story, but going into it would be like opening a hornets nest. Good job. Thank you In the words of John Lennon ; "Just give me some truth." JJ


heidy reynada	Jun 26, 2003	warden
the pacific science center is very cool to visit