SANTA FE, N.M. – Meow Wolf is laying off more than 150 workers. 

Leaders with the Santa Fe-based company – which has opened multiple other exhibits across the nation – say the decision will impact all the locations, even as they still plan on expanding to other cities. 

KOB 4 spoke to a current employee at Meow Wolf’s Denver location and a former employee at the Las Vegas exhibit. 

While Meow Wolf management told us these layoffs are because of budgetary reasons,  these employees say they don’t buy it.

Meow Wolf CEO Jose Tolosa issued a letter to employees Monday, saying in part: 

“On Wednesday, 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.” 

The cuts will impact 111 exhibition employees at all four Meow Wolf locations, including the original in Santa Fe, and 54 bargaining unit positions at the Las Vegas exhibit.

In total 165 people are being let go. 

“The fact that they’re going to cut over 50 position in Las Vegas, specifically, while they’re in the works of bargaining for their union. It’s extremely alarming, and it’s very decisive,” said a former Meow Wolf employee at Omega Mart in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

This former Meow Wolf employee didn’t want to share her name, but she worked at the Las Vegas exhibit Omega Mart for nearly three years. She says culture at Meow Wolf has drastically changed.

“When Jose took over, he completely corporatized the company. And so what they are doing is they are absolutely budgeting and changing their budgeting, but they are not cutting back the executive level,” she said. 

She isn’t the only one who pointed out these lay-offs are only impacting Meow Wolf’s lowest paid employees.

“I don’t believe it’s anything to do with budgets because they continue to advertise and hire for positions that are six-figure salaries. The GM alone and the Denver location makes anywhere from $150,000 to $250,000 a year, and he just got hired for that role,” said a current Meow Wolf employee at Convergence Station in Denver, Colorado. 

A quick Google search shows just nine days ago, Meow Wolf posted a job for a vice president position with a salary of more than $150,000. While the positions the company is cutting are mostly part-time jobs at $18 to $20 an hour, and employees say we could see even more consequences. 

“There is talks of strikes, there is talks of walkouts,” said the former employee. 

In that email, the CEO says anyone laid off will get a severance package tied to their years of service, and extended health care coverage. 

He also says Meow Wolf will help them find other jobs, but didn’t give specific details.