Overview
- The museum said it could not open on Monday, January 12, and announced automatic reimbursement for all dated tickets.
- The stoppage extends weeks of disruptions that have included a three-day walkout before Christmas, partial closures, and a delayed opening on January 5.
- Unions representing employees say the museum is understaffed and overworked, and they are seeking hiring commitments, higher wages, and investment in infrastructure.
- Labor tensions have grown since the October 19 daytime robbery in which thieves used a platform and disk-cutters to steal eight crown-jewel items valued at over $100 million, most still unrecovered.
- Recent maintenance problems include a November leak that damaged hundreds of Egyptology volumes and the temporary shutdown of a gallery after risky ceiling beams were identified, with the chief architect warning the building is not in good condition.