Extended Studies employees laid off during university-wide budget cuts

Portland State’s School of Extended Studies laid off 16 employees last week in an administrative decision as part of a 4 percent budget cut implemented throughout the university. The university said the goal of the cuts is to decrease spending while maintaining academic programs and services for students. “These cuts will produce $1.5 million annual savings (in salaries and services/supplies). By making strategic budget reductions such as these, the university protects its core academic and student services from larger cuts,” PSU Director of Communications Scott Gallagher said.

Affected employees were notified through letters. Gallagher said the employees were given between 30 days and six months’ notice that they would not be returning to the university. “Each affected employee was given a notification letter outlining their specific union rights, last day worked and benefits information on Tuesday, May 1,” he said.

Of those who were let go, seven were affiliated with the American Association of University Professors, four were members of the Service Employees International Union and five were what the university considers “excluded staff” with no union connection.

“All employees have been offered the opportunity to attend a three-day outplacement workshop and have 90 days of access to professional development and coaching resources through a private vendor,” Gallagher said.

Those with union affiliations were given additional options and opportunities. “SEIU represented employees are given their layoff rights per the SEIU collective bargaining agreement in a meeting with their union steward and the Human Resources employment manager,” Gallagher said.

However, Phil Lesch, executive director of the AAUP, said that the conversations the administration had with the union were limited. “We were not contacted and not included. We thought the administration valued a good working relationship with its unions. We are very disappointed,” Lesch said.

Lesch said that some employees felt the manner in which the firings occurred was demeaning. “Employees have shared that they felt demeaned and disrespected by the way the notification was given. We were told that the group of employees were brought together, called up to the front of the room and handed their letters in front of everyone else,” Lesch said.

Vincent Fritzsche, treasurer of the AAUP executive council said he felt the university was “about as fair as they could be.”

“They had to make some cuts,” Fritzsche said. “I think it was done as well as you could do it. It’s a rough situation all around.”

The university followed the guidelines that the AAUP had set forth for situations such as this, according to Fritzsche. “Our goal is to make sure the university follows the contractual process of program elimination,” he said.

“Program eliminations are a big deal, and this is something we have been keen to monitor as program cuts could trigger Article 22 and 23 in our contract. We learned in February that no programs were to be cut and that this was becoming a reorganization that would result in layoffs,” Lesch said.

The cuts to Extended Studies will not affect any programs the school currently operates. “These are non-teaching positions, and no programs are being eliminated at this time,” Gallagher said.

The situation appears to be difficult for everyone involved. “How do you do something difficult without it being difficult?” Fritzsche said.

“This move is part of PSU’s ongoing strategic effort to increase efficiencies and reduce expenditures campus-wide,” Gallagher said.

The School of Extended Studies provides online extended campus options, independent study programs and houses the Professional Development Center.