Four administrators within the Facilities Management department received 90-day notices of unemployment last Friday. Director of Legal Affairs John Burns said the positions were eliminated because of budgetary concerns.
Director of Management Systems Gordon Pettey; Upper Campus Grounds and Ridges Supervisor Thomas Ruedebusch; Superintendent of Lausche Heating Plant Wayne Mullins; and Carpenter Shop Manager Don Hixson received letters July 1 notifying them that their positions had been eliminated.
According to university records, Pettey earned $71, 353 last year; Ruedebusch earned $47,844; Mullins earned $48,476; and Hixson earned $51,708.
The four men's salaries total $219,381. Burns said the men's salaries plus benefits add up to about $350,000.
According to the letters sent to each employee by Director of Facilities Management Terry Conry, the administrators' salaries and benefits will continue until September 30. If the positions are reinstated, the employees are eligible for reappointment within the next two years, according to the letter.
The university will work with the displaced employees for job placement both within and outside of Ohio University, Burns said. The coming school year's budget-related layoffs for non-faculty administrative support staff. which includes these positions, must be completed by July 8.
Burns said administrative offices took approximately a 3.75 percent cut under the university's new budget. He said the positions were eliminated to make the department more efficient operating with a smaller budget, and were not related to the employees' performance.
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Megan Chew
