Union chapter president lashes out on university president
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Posted: Apr 14, 2016 2:13 PM CDT
MACOMB, Ill. (WGEM) -
A day after Western Illinois University President Jack Thomas announced 110 more layoffs, the faculty's union chapter president is speaking out.
"It is unconscionable that President Thomas would balance the budget on the backs of our hardworking civil service employees at Western Illinois University before working with us on solutions," WIU Faculty President Bill Thompson said. "By putting faculty and staff last on his list of priorities, President Thomas is shortchanging our students, who are already being shortchanged by our governor, who refuses to fund their college dreams."
Thompson is a professor and chapter president of the University Professionals of Illinois, Local 4100.
Employees affected by this round of layoffs have not yet been informed. The university says those employees will be notified next week. None of the layoffs include teaching jobs.
Thompson also blamed Gov. Bruce Rauner.
"Governor Rauner made it clear that higher education is not a priority of his by refusing to pass a state budget, vetoing funding for tuition assistance, and proposing a 25 percent across-the-board cut to higher education in Illinois," Thompson stated. "I would think that President Thomas would work with the faculty and staff to fight for funding, since it is his job to keep our school running. However, we are the ones who organize marches and rallies for funding the administration refuses to support."
Thompson stated he wished Thomas would work with the employees.
"It would be far better for Dr. Thomas to work with us rather than blame us for problems we did not cause," Thompson stated. "He should stand with us, not against us. Together we are much more powerful than alone. We ask that Dr. Thomas unite with us against Gov. Rauner and his GOP enablers so that he will no longer have to send these kinds of drastic cuts to the campus and the community of Macomb."
The WIU chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois represents 700 faculty and staff at WIU.
What a load of crap. Unbelievable. No mention of the faculty keeping their pay raise. How arrogant sounding to the " civil servants". I tell you, I've about had it with WIU, and I would blame my lack of future support on the faculty.
Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff
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sealhall74
- Posts: 5985
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
- Location: Wherever, Windblows
The UPI is a total joke. Look at their objective statement (from the web site):
OUR OBJECTIVES
According to the UPI Constitution, the objectives of UPI Local 4100 are:
To utilize collective bargaining and other appropriate means to develop mutual assistance and cooperation for faculty, academic professionals, and other staff of Illinois public universities.
To obtain for faculty, academic professionals, and other staff the rights to which they are entitled.
To secure and protect academic freedom, tenure, and faculty governance.
To secure the conditions essential to the best professional growth and service.
To promote the welfare of the students in the public universities of Illinois by providing progressively better educational opportunity.
Student welfare is at the bottom of the list. That is what is truly unconscionable.
OUR OBJECTIVES
According to the UPI Constitution, the objectives of UPI Local 4100 are:
To utilize collective bargaining and other appropriate means to develop mutual assistance and cooperation for faculty, academic professionals, and other staff of Illinois public universities.
To obtain for faculty, academic professionals, and other staff the rights to which they are entitled.
To secure and protect academic freedom, tenure, and faculty governance.
To secure the conditions essential to the best professional growth and service.
To promote the welfare of the students in the public universities of Illinois by providing progressively better educational opportunity.
Student welfare is at the bottom of the list. That is what is truly unconscionable.
Embrace the pace of the race.
Tell me about it. I have nieces and nephews going to WIU and they are regurgitating the "facts" that are in the union dude's letter.
They're smart kids, but the fact that they're willing to jump on this bandwagon without researching the complete story scares me in regards to their critical thinking ability.
They're smart kids, but the fact that they're willing to jump on this bandwagon without researching the complete story scares me in regards to their critical thinking ability.
A special meeting of the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 20 in the University Union Heritage Room. A closed session will begin at 8 a.m. in the Heritage Room.
The Board is meeting to consider the use of Auxiliary Facilities Systems (AFS) funds.
The Board is meeting to consider the use of Auxiliary Facilities Systems (AFS) funds.
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LeatherHawk
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:38 pm
Things I have tired of and the ramblings of a BS and MS grad and faculty member:
I tire of our top administration continually trying to pass the buck and never make a tough decision. They would prefer to back the faculty into a corner and then claim the idea came from them, even if it did not. I have seen firsthand how heavy handed this administration is when it wants something and how slowly it acts when departments need something.
I tire of our union president pretending there is a pot of gold somewhere buried on campus that will make things better when for months we have all known this is not the case. I tire of him and our union board trying to save every union job on campus. It’s like pretending the Titanic is not sinking.
I tire of us having departments on campus that serve few students while taking up large resources. Follow this Link: http://www.ibhe.org/Reports%20&%20Studi ... f#page=220
We need to make cuts to areas where there is little to no ROI. If you have dead branches hanging over your house, do you prune them or hope they get better? We need to prune what is not producing before taking away from what is. Forming a committee consisting of faculty from these departments tasked with making recommendations of what to cut, is not the solution.
I tire of people placing the blame on faculty not taking pay cuts to save positions, while knowing this merely kicks the can down the road for another month, maybe two, three. (I am all for giving back our 1% raise by the way). When the 4% cuts being batted about are deemed as largely a “gesture” versus making a real impact, how is this going to make a real difference? We end up with faculty making less for the remainders of their careers for a gesture?
I tire of not even having a proposal come forward from the union for us to vote on.
I tire of my wife worrying about her job at WIU and having to take furlough days.
I tire of watching other families, friends and local businesses having to worry and try to “Do more with less.” I am beyond tired of this being the WIU mantra I have heard for 10 years now.
However, more than all, I tire of our legislators playing games with the lives of so many citizens of the state of Illinois. This is not a Republican vs Democrat thing (Though I find Madigan to be the biggest criminal in the state). This is a state of Illinois thing. Why would anyone want to move to this politically corrupt cesspool of a state? How in the hell can I get out? Who would buy my house given the circumstances we find ourselves in coupled with the tax rate we pay on our homes? I do not want to move. I planned to have a career here, raise my children here, and retire from here.
Without a solution, Macomb will turn into a cross between Carthage and Monmouth. I can’t believe that is a good thing. No offense to either community.
I tire of our top administration continually trying to pass the buck and never make a tough decision. They would prefer to back the faculty into a corner and then claim the idea came from them, even if it did not. I have seen firsthand how heavy handed this administration is when it wants something and how slowly it acts when departments need something.
I tire of our union president pretending there is a pot of gold somewhere buried on campus that will make things better when for months we have all known this is not the case. I tire of him and our union board trying to save every union job on campus. It’s like pretending the Titanic is not sinking.
I tire of us having departments on campus that serve few students while taking up large resources. Follow this Link: http://www.ibhe.org/Reports%20&%20Studi ... f#page=220
We need to make cuts to areas where there is little to no ROI. If you have dead branches hanging over your house, do you prune them or hope they get better? We need to prune what is not producing before taking away from what is. Forming a committee consisting of faculty from these departments tasked with making recommendations of what to cut, is not the solution.
I tire of people placing the blame on faculty not taking pay cuts to save positions, while knowing this merely kicks the can down the road for another month, maybe two, three. (I am all for giving back our 1% raise by the way). When the 4% cuts being batted about are deemed as largely a “gesture” versus making a real impact, how is this going to make a real difference? We end up with faculty making less for the remainders of their careers for a gesture?
I tire of not even having a proposal come forward from the union for us to vote on.
I tire of my wife worrying about her job at WIU and having to take furlough days.
I tire of watching other families, friends and local businesses having to worry and try to “Do more with less.” I am beyond tired of this being the WIU mantra I have heard for 10 years now.
However, more than all, I tire of our legislators playing games with the lives of so many citizens of the state of Illinois. This is not a Republican vs Democrat thing (Though I find Madigan to be the biggest criminal in the state). This is a state of Illinois thing. Why would anyone want to move to this politically corrupt cesspool of a state? How in the hell can I get out? Who would buy my house given the circumstances we find ourselves in coupled with the tax rate we pay on our homes? I do not want to move. I planned to have a career here, raise my children here, and retire from here.
Without a solution, Macomb will turn into a cross between Carthage and Monmouth. I can’t believe that is a good thing. No offense to either community.
Local business and city officials hoping for the best during WIU layoffs
From tonight's WGEM News:
http://www.wgem.com/story/31726407/2016 ... iu-layoffs
From tonight's WGEM News:
http://www.wgem.com/story/31726407/2016 ... iu-layoffs
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rufusrjones
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2016 7:39 am
I'd like to buy LeatherHawk a drink. Amen Bro. Right on right on right on.
WIU needs a complete restructure. I feel as though the arts that much of the campus focuses on is lost with time and that we are still holding in the past they need to move forward and focus more on degrees that are booming or are going to be part of the future. More focus on engineering, nursing, computer science, supply chain management, business, etc. Things that kids want to study and that will actually have a chance in getting a job once they are out of school. LEJA obviously can stay it is still and most likely will always be a big program for the school, but as much as I like the arts and sciences if you are going to have those you need to have a few specific majors that take up few resources and that we can be very well known for rather than tons of programs which are all half funded and none known that well. Perhaps I am wrong and this is one persons perspective, I just think that not only because of lack of funds, but lack of desire to move forward with the world we partly caused our own loss of students.
A Macomb businessman told me yesterday that the merchants in town are very concerned about their future.
With over 500 Western employees impacted by furloughs and salary reductions and now 220 layoffs, the economic ripple is spreading throughout the community.
As households begin to cut down on their spending, restaurants and the Rialto will be the first to feel the cutbacks.
With over 500 Western employees impacted by furloughs and salary reductions and now 220 layoffs, the economic ripple is spreading throughout the community.
As households begin to cut down on their spending, restaurants and the Rialto will be the first to feel the cutbacks.
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sealhall74
- Posts: 5985
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
- Location: Wherever, Windblows
I hope our leaders are not of the mindset that things will be back to normal and good if and/or when the governor and state legislators come together with a solution. They better be looking twenty five years ahead and plan for when half of all students will get their degrees at home. Public colleges are lagging far behind in this area. Look for them to catch up quickly. If students can learn from their own home, so too can teachers teach from their office/home, wherever it happens to be.
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=80
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=80
Embrace the pace of the race.