Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Here's the Latest: As We Prepare to Hire More Highly-Paid Administrators, Watson Lays Off Loyal Employees at the Bottom of the Pay Scale

In response to Corday’s post yesterday, here is what I have learned about the most recent layoffs: At least seven persons have been laid off, eliminating two employee classifications from the Chicago State budget. The elimination of these classifications apparently enables the university to avoid issues of seniority and precludes any of the laid off employees from “bumping” junior employees.

The persons affected by the layoffs have served Chicago State University for between seven and twenty-one years and the total salary “savings” realized by these layoffs are around $200,000. Of course, there will be no actual salary savings for the university as we are currently involved in searches for at least four upper-level administrative positions: the Chief of Police, a newly created Executive Director of Alumni Giving, another newly created Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and a new posting for the Vice President of Enrollment Management. I estimate that the aggregate salaries for these four positions will be at least $500,000.

This is an outrageous action by a president desperately trying to hang on to his ability to hire his friends and cronies. Both the Chief of Police and Student Affairs searches are most likely rigged to insure that Watson cronies (pick your Watson here) get those positions. You can just imagine who Wayne Watson will select as the “Executive Director of Alumni Giving” and the new Vice President of Enrollment Management. Perhaps it’s time to culminate the Cheri Sidney farce by giving that mendacious fraud another hefty raise and a new position from which she can further damage Chicago State.

Why are these layoffs happening at this time? I recently received an e-mail from a highly-placed administrator who had the following explanation:

An interesting thought though, the IBHE warning that public higher ed institutions should consider/plan for a potential 20-30% drop in funding next year is being used as a perfect scapegoat for firing staff to cover our PRIOR financial mismanagement. We're in the hole and hemorrhaging money via enrollment losses/bad business decisions/lawsuits and they got the gift of being told to prepare for a 30% cut. . . . We have to act to resolve insolvency over prior issues under the guise of state budget cut warnings and will have to run another round of firings if the cuts do come to pass. We're probably firing 20% of the university's labor workforce to help pay for the $4m Crowley judgement that the university doesn't have $/insurance to cover. Oh, and to get around that pesky 'union' issue, they are just going to fire everyone within certain classification groups to close out all union employees within that classification.”

This is truly the worst university administration in the nation.

2 comments:

  1. This is why we have been fighting Wayne's regime from the beginning. We knew that his behavior would have serious negative consequences for hundreds of members of this campus community. These firings are of people who have families that depend on them. Will their children and/or grandchildren be able to pay for college now? Do Black lives really matter to this administration? Oops, I guess that was racist. I guess you can't point out how a rich elite Black man screws over Black people unless you are willing to be labelled a racist. Then, again, who is the racist?; the ones working hard for the Black community and all others at CSU who challenge the behaviors of Wayne and FOWs or Wayne, the one damaging Black lives on this campus? To hear some of our 'community leaders' and 'community'-minded people tell it, the racists are the ones challenging Wayne and minions. Tell that foolishness to those who have lost their jobs. That idiot played the race card and you fell for it. Explain to the children and grandchildren, parents and others of those who have lost their jobs how you stood up for them against Wayne. Maybe you can explain to Jokari Miller and Willie Preston's children how you fight for the Black community. Explain to them how you challenged Watson in public and spent hours in court supporting the victims of Wayne's ego. Can you muster up enough courage to admit your failures and get to work on building this institution and ridding it of political hacks, liars, and thieves? Or is it easier simply calling those of us who have challenged the regime 'racists'? Who will step up and meet the challenge? Zollar and co. are rigging the presidential search. What will y'all do about it? Will you allow the fatal blow to this campus and let them hire another sociopathic political hack to become president? Will Chicago State breathe?

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  2. I wonder if anyone the university, the readers of this very informative blog or even status employees realize that all of these goings on are possible breech of contract issues("pesky union issue") seriously just because someone says well enrollment is down, cost are high, the ship is sinking or we have no money has no bearing over your contractual agreement or your civil service status I have read comment after comment about how the Watson's are thieves(yes pick one) and from what I've seen I'd have to agree but you have rights I encourage everyone to assist their union stewards join in their fight to help secure the job you have the right to do. If you are a union steward and your blood is not boiling or the hair on the back of your neck isn't standing up you should not be representing anyone and shame on you we do not have to be part of this dog and pony AT WILL wanna be administration show simply put if you are civil service contracted however much time is left on that contract is the money that you are entitled to and no amount of illuminating job titles is going to change that simply saying their is no money does not excuse this administration from its obligation to pay you no more than it would excuse you for eating at a restaurant without the ability to pay lastly there are always gonna be individuals with high ambition, big dreams and plans who have no use for you the union or not seeking support for their efforts working right next to you it's ok just remember don't give up your right to do your job don't sign documentation in the name of cooperation, work closely with your union if you have one if your in one and don't like the union "DO SOMETHING TO MAKE IT BETTER" stand strong be a soilder fight for your right to work this job don't be a lamb ushered to the slaughter via cooperation and silence

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