he said.
OU is expected to lay off about 90 administrative, classified and union employees to help make up a $15 million deficit. In total, Facilities will reduce its $25.8 million budget by $2.3 million, or about 9 percent. The department would also eliminate or not fill 13 other positions.
With these cuts, Sams predicted students would have longer waits for maintenance requests, including air conditioning, heating and plumbing work.
Ohio University's plan to cut 32 unionized maintenance employees would leave the Facilities Management department scrambling to keep up, a union representative said yesterday.
Facilities has been working well with a tight staff before this latest round of cuts, said Bill Sams, regional director for Council 8 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
My own belief is that they have the mistaken notion they can do the job as well for less money he said.
OU is expected to lay off about 90 administrative, classified and union employees to help make up a $15 million deficit. In total, Facilities will reduce its $25.8 million budget by $2.3 million, or about 9 percent. The department would also eliminate or not fill 13 other positions.
With these cuts, Sams predicted students would have longer waits for maintenance requests, including air conditioning, heating and plumbing work.
It can only result in lessening the enjoyment of a college environment for the students Sams said.
Bill Decatur, senior vice president of Finance and Administration, agreed that Facilities would become more reactive with a slimmer workforce, but said that deferred maintenance is a statewide problem in higher education.
I wish I could say there won't be any impact
but there will
he said.
In January, officials placed the university's maintenance backlog at roughly half a billion dollars.
Union officials held preliminary talks with OU administrators on Monday to try to alleviate the total cuts.
The union estimates that about 30 additional workers could accept early retirement, Decatur said.
If that's true
then no one would be left on the street
he said.
Custodial employees were sheltered from these layoffs because of the 2007 budget cuts that left 21 workers without jobs, according to the department's budget reduction strategy.
By laying off higher-paid union employees and potentially using more contracted labor, the on-campus jobs will take longer, Sams said.
Well obviously taking the most skilled positions out and away will leave service lacking
he said.
rd207206@ohiou.edu
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