The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo announced Wednesday it’s laying off nearly a quarter of staff members at the Catholic Center and is enacting other cost-saving initiatives as the facility moves down the street in Buffalo.
The diocese said 22% of the 75 staffers at the Catholic Center have lost their jobs and will be paid through Aug. 31, with health benefits continuing through Sept. 30.
The layoffs are consistent with what has been required of parishes throughout the diocese in order to fulfill the proposed settlement with the Creditors Committee in the Diocese’s 5-year Chapter 11 restructuring process, Diocesan officials said.
“Echoing what Bishop Fisher has asserted consistently, we have no higher priority than to fulfill our obligations to the Creditors Committee, aimed at supporting the healing of victim-survivors of sexual abuse,” said Rick Suchan, chief operating officer. “The very difficult actions we have announced today at the Catholic Center mirror the sacrifices we have required of all parishes of the Diocese. We cannot adequately express our gratitude to the members of the Catholic Center staff who have worked tirelessly to deal with the difficult challenges of recent years, while continuing to support the ministries vital to serving so many needs across Western New York. We are committed to doing everything possible to ease the departure of those staff members affected by these cost reductions, which in no way reflect their performance or lasting contributions.”
Staff members unaffected by the layoffs will transition to a four-day work week beginning Sept. 1. The number of paid holidays will also be reduced and, for part-time employees working under 25 hours per week, eliminated altogether.
The plan is for all Catholic Center personnel to be relocated from the current Catholic Center offices at 795 Main St. — given that the property is currently for sale — to office space at 801 Main St. during the coming months. As a result of these actions, annual cost savings are estimated to be in excess of $1.5 million.