Sloan Kettering Lays Off Over 330 Workers, 1.8% of Workforce

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a world renowned cancer hospital on the UES, said it laid off 337 employees in mid-January, which amounts to 1.8 percent of its workforce.

The layoffs began on January 17, 2023 and, according to a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act) notice filed with the NYS Dept of Labor, were slated continue through July 1, 2023. However, according to an MSK spokesperson, all layoffs were finalized as of January 17. The Dept. of Labor requires a 90 day notice period of layoffs by major employers laying off more than 100 workers, suggesting the laid off workers will be paid until at least July.

While the layoffs will affect a variety of employees at 14 different locations, no nurses or doctors will be affected, according to the spokesperson. None of the affected employees belong to a union, according to the Labor Dept. filing.

The biggest hit came at the hospitals 633 Third Ave site where 148 people were laid off. The hospital headquarters at 1275 York Ave. saw 127 workers laid off while 17 were pink slipped at 530 E. 17th St. and 11 at the Lab Medical site at 327 E. 64 St. The rest of the layoffs were in the single digits scattered across ten additional locations largely on the UES.

“As announced in November, as a result of financial challenges that persist across the healthcare industry, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is reducing its workforce,” said John Connolly, Director of Media Relations at Sloan Kettering. “This reduction was necessary to ensure that MSK can continue to invest in the future of cancer care, research, and education for the benefit of generations to come and every effort has been made to ensure that patient care is not impacted,” he said.