Stop UTHSC Layoffs

Chancellor Schwab, Vice-Chancellor Brown,

On Friday, March 12th, University of Tennessee Health and Science Center announced it would lay off 70 frontline facilities workers.

This layoff is unnecessary
UTHSC is on firm financial footing. The university already cut 3% of expenses this year, after losing only 1% revenue due to COVID. The state of Tennessee has provided an increase in funding this year, including resources for pay raises for state workers. The Federal government just passed a significant stimulus package with billions for higher education intended to prevent budget cuts and layoffs.

This layoff is anti-Black
This predominantly Black workforce, in a majority Black city, is currently the only group of workers targeted for a layoff, across the whole UT system. These workers were given no notice and for weeks had been told by Kennard Brown and Kimberly Moore that rumors of layoffs were untrue.

This layoff is a defacto step toward privatization
The number of buildings that need to be maintained to keep the university running has not decreased. There are increasing number of private contractors in evidence around UTHSC's campus. Several jobs were relisted the same day as the layoffs were announced, with similar jobs descriptions as the long-time employees that were just laid off, but with a different title and lower pay. Layoffs must be a last resort, only considered when all other options fail.

This layoff disrespects working people
Facilities workers keep the university running through the pandemic, at great personal risk. They maintained the buildings while COVID-19 vaccine trial testing was ongoing on campus. Workers have devoted their lives in service to UTHSC for decades. Several workers are within a few years of retirement, but instead have been laid off.

The solution
If UT seeks to be a fair and equitable university system that treats Black communities with respect, it must begin with the majority Black workforce who help make UT run. Randy Boyd and Steve Schwab must reverse these layoffs immediately.

To: Chancellor Schwab, Vice-Chancellor Brown,
From: [Your Name]

Public institutions in good fiscal health, receiving taking federal CARES and ARP funds should not be permitted to turn around and lay off masses of workers. Nor should they be allowed to hide and lie about their mass layoff plans, as UTHSC has done.

If UTHSC moves forward with this layoff, the quality of facilities work at UTHSC will fall sharply, and the university will also lose accountability over the service. This layoff is privatization, which jeopardizes the high standards students faculty and staff at UTHSC rely on. The university is expanding is real estate holdings - it is wrong to reduce the facilities staff.

Those of us laid off are majority Black. UTHSC is the only school in the UT system facing these layoffs. This is unacceptable. This layoff will cost us the healthcare and insurance our families rely on. Some of us were only a few years from retirement. Further, we kept the university running and on the front line of the fight against COVID-19, this is no way to repay us for our sacrifice.

The layoffs of 70 UT facilities workers must be immediately reversed.