Indiana University Lays Off 10 Library Workers. CWA President Smedley Stands Up for Them.

Ten employees at IU libraries are being laid off this week — the latest budgetary issue in a summer of pay raises, tuition increases and financial cutbacks.  [President Michael McRobbie received a 12 percent pay raise, increasing his annual salary to $533,120.]

Seven support staff and three professional staff were told Tuesday and Wednesday their positions are being eliminated....
The timing was met with condemnation from the local chapter of Communication Workers of America, a union that represents 1,700 IU support staff.

“In a time of financial cuts, difficult decisions have to be made,” Chapter President Bryce Smedley said. “There’s no question about that. But on one hand, we’re seeing these huge raises, and on the other hand, we’re seeing 10 people getting laid off.”

If McRobbie had forgone the larger raise and accepted the same 1.5 pay increase as many IU employees are, the IU president could have then saved some of those jobs, --Smedley said in a prepared statement.