University of Wisconsin-Superior has given its entire custodial and grounds crew staff “at risk” letters, saying they may be laid off and have their jobs outsourced.
This marks the first time any four-year UW campus has taken such a measure.
Buck Learn is one of 26 workers who got the “at risk” letter this week. He says if UW-Superior privatizes custodial and grounds jobs, students will lose.
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“At the beginning of every semester, you can see that blank look on their face, and it’s like, ‘Where do you need to go?’” said Learn. “Most of us do not give directions – we’ll walk them right to where they want to go ’til they get the feel of the campus.”
UW-Superior is the smallest of the 13 four-year campuses, and does not have the reserves that caused legislators to freeze tuition and cut funding earlier this year. The campus has an operating deficit of almost $1 million dollars per year. Chancellor Renee Wachter says that’s why they’ll seek proposals from private companies to outsource those jobs.
“The reality is, if we don’t take a hard look at what we do, we’re putting more in jeopardy than just this particular group of employees,” said Wachter. “But we’re really putting the entire university at risk if we don’t make hard decisions about what we do.”
State Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, understands the predicament Wachter is in, but he doesn’t think the “at risk” letters should have gone out.
“I think it’s premature to conclude that the university is going to necessarily have to eliminate jobs for these 26 people,” said Jauch. “But I hope that Chancellor Wachter will sit down with (UW System President) Ray Cross and lay out all of her very painful choices.”
Cross says all campuses need to look at reductions, including outsourcing.
After 13 years as a custodian making $13 an hour, Learn says it’s hard to swallow: “There ain’t no smile on this campus with the custodians. How can there be?”
Learn says they were told a decision would be made in the next one to five months.
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