Thank you so much for your direct support of our MFA colleagues who were laid off in January 2026. It is deeply appreciated and much needed in light of the larger unemployment benefits crisis in Massachusetts.

At present, delivery of jobless benefits to eligible claimants in Massachusetts is one of the slowest in the country. You can read more about this pressing issue affecting all unemployed residents of the Commonwealth here.

If you are a Massachusetts resident, please consider writing to your state representative (enter your city or town or street address on the map) asking them to expedite the long-overdue reforms to the state unemployment insurance system.

If you are not a Massachusetts resident but would like to add your voice to the call for reform, you can contact Governor Maura Healey here.

Suggested wording:

Dear Senator or Representative [Last name]: My name is [...] and I am writing to you as my state representative. In light of increasing layoffs in Massachusetts, most recently 33 staff of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, I am deeply concerned about our state’s unemployment benefits system, in particular the unacceptably slow rate of distribution to eligible claimants by the Department of Unemployment Assistance as reported by the Commonwealth Beacon. With exorbitantly high housing and healthcare costs affecting all Massachusetts residents, all eligible jobless claimants deserve to be supported quickly in their moment of crisis.

I urge you to prioritize this matter on behalf of your constituents.

With gratitude,

Coalition for MFA Boston Mutual Aid 2026

MFA Boston Mutual Aid 2026

A way for MFA staff and Museum friends to support our laid-off colleagues