PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island College plans to permanently lay off 35 union employees due to the financial impact the college had as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, President Frank D. Sanchez announced Wednesday in a letter to faculty and staff.
Sanchez wrote in the letter – obtained Thursday by Providence Business News – that RIC had to take these measures as a “last resort” after multiple other measures failed to close the $10.4 million deficit the college is projecting for the 2021 fiscal year.
Among those measures was closing the Henry Barnard School on campus at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. The college tried other measures, including hiring freezes, executive pay cuts, a union work-share program and also reducing the adjunct faculty budget, among other measures.
It is unclear what positions will be impacted by the layoffs and when those layoffs will become in effect. RIC officials declined comment to PBN Thursday.
RIC is also expecting a 15% decrease in state appropriation for the 2022 fiscal year, Sanchez said. Therefore, RIC said the pandemic caused the college to reduce expenses by an “unprecedented” 15%.
Sanchez also said that RIC is limited in communicating directly with impacted employees, making the process “even more difficult.” The president wrote RIC contacted the R.I. Department of Administration Aug. 31 of the intended layoffs and the department provided a 15-day advance notice intending to implement the layoffs to state union representative Sept. 3. However, per the collective bargaining agreement, RIC is prevented from communicating with impacted employees until Sept. 18.
RIC had plans to speak with impacted employees Sept. 18, Sanchez said, but the union contacted its members “immediately after it received notice of the layoffs” from the Department of Administration.
“It is important to note that since some of the identified employees may have seniority and bumping rights, the current list approved by the [Department of Administration] may change as the state-wide seniority list is reviewed and employees make their selections,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said RIC will provide assistance to impacted employees through the college’s human resources office, employee assistance programs and the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
