KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Schools are continuing to take a major hit as the coronavirus pandemic continues throughout Michigan, and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo is the latest to announce layoffs due to this public health and economic crisis.
On Thursday, WMU President Edward Montgomery released a letter explaining that they will be laying off 240 employees and implementing wage reductions to offset their current financial losses.
It states that Western has already incurred losses of about $45 million dollars this fiscal year and they are projecting another shortfall of between $45 million and $85 million in the 2020-2021 fiscal year, resulting in a deficit of up to 20% of their general fund budget.
According to the statement, the university has already “implemented a hiring freeze through the end of the spring semester, banned travel, froze or canceled planned construction projects worth millions, and were encouraging that all discretionary spending be suspended.”
Many top-level employees, including President Montgomery, are also taking pay cuts for at least the upcoming fiscal year, ranging from 5 to 10%.
The biggest hit is that WMU will lay off 240 AFSCME employees due to the stay at home order causing a shut down of the university’s fitness centers, performance venue, and conferencing facilities.
“We do not know if or when these employees may be recalled to come back to work. It will depend on the ongoing restrictions that limit the impacted services and our overall budget situation. However, it is unlikely that this portion of our workforce will return to the current level in the near future,” President Montgomery said in the statement.
