With donors tightening their purse strings and investments hurting, the local chapter of the American Red Cross has laid off 22 employees, almost half its staff.
The cuts include part- and full-time workers across all departments, spokeswoman Abi Weaver said this morning.
"The remaining staff all will be taking a salary reduction as part of a larger expense-reduction plan," she said.
The Tampa Bay Chapter served 122,000 clients in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties in fiscal year 2008, providing disaster response services and training in CPR, first aid and other skills.
The chapter has an annual budget of $4.5 million, Weaver said, but over the past four months has seen a shortfall of about $1 million.
"We're facing the same economic situation that every family and every corporation is facing," she said.
The chapter has about 2,200 volunteers.
"It is our volunteers that are going to ensure we have no interruption in service," Weaver said.
The chapter's staffed offices in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Hudson will remain open. On Monday, it will open an all-volunteer office in Dade City.
The layoffs were announced Friday. Twenty-three of the chapter's 49 positions were cut, including one vacancy.
"This will be painful for us," Weaver said. "The individuals that are affected are not only our employees, but they are our friends."
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