Due to financial pressures, the University of Windsor announces a number of changes moving forward - including job cuts.
According to the University, the school is predicting a revenue-expenditure gap of $30-million in the operating budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The changes will now include streamlining services, and merging administrative support.
In a letter posted Tuesday by the school's President and Vice-Chancellor, Robert Gordon, he states that 'specific services currently provided within individual faculties and non-faculty units will be moved to centralized service units. These include IT/AV technical support, communications, advancement, and, in the future, events.'
Gordon says due to these changes, a significant number of staff members in CUPE 1393 and in the Unifor 2458 full- and part-time office and clerical staff groups will be affected, and these changes will happen immediately.
The school's website states that the changes affect 56 CUPE 1393 positions, eight of which are vacant. Centrally, 29 new CUPE 1393 roles are being created, for a net reduction of 27 CUPE 1393 positions.
Last fall, the University implemented changes affecting non-union positions across campus, including restructuring, title and salary adjustments, and position eliminations. A salary freeze was also put in place for all non-union employees.
Other cost savings initiatives include changes to mail delivery, janitorial and other service areas within the university.
The school's website also states that the University has engaged with several external consultants to review operations and help identify efficiencies, however, they add that all decisions were made by University administrators.
In a statement provided to AM800 News from the University, it states 'to minimize the impact on unionized positions, identified vacant roles have been eliminated first, and voluntary early retirement and voluntary severance packages are being offered to eligible employees. '