Western Illinois University librarians win their jobs back after illegal layoffs

In a major win for higher education, five faculty librarians and two university professionals at Western Illinois University will be offered their jobs back with back pay after being laid off last May, an arbitrator ruled on May 31, 2026.

The arbitrator found that when the university laid off the workers, it violated the collective bargaining agreement with the union. As a result, the university must reinstate the affected employees, who now must decide if they want to return to their jobs.

"This decision confirms what we have argued from the beginning: These layoffs were wrong, they were harmful to staff and students, and they violated our contract," said Merrill Cole, who is president of the WIU chapter of University Professionals of Illinois, Local 4100. "The academic librarians and professionals targeted by these layoffs dedicated their careers to supporting student success and the educational mission of Western Illinois University. We are pleased that the arbitrator recognized the injustice of the university's actions and ordered meaningful remedies for those who were impacted."

In August 2024, the university announced it would lay off all its faculty librarians by May 2025. As a result, the school's Quad Cities campus, which sits on the border of Illinois and Iowa, had to shutter its library. It was replaced with a service desk in a multipurpose building nearby.

Librarians are crucial members of the higher education workforce, especially for first-generation students navigating their way through challenging courses. These workers can assist students in finding the academic literature they need to succeed in their classes, such as books and digital media; they manage databases that store information and help students get access to credible electronic resources.

Why did WIU lay off faculty and university professionals in the first place?

The university said the layoffs were in response to budget shortfalls and a drop in student enrollment over the years. At the time, the WIU was grappling with a $22 million budget deficit and a 21 percent enrollment decline since 2019. In 2024, WIU laid off 124 faculty and staff members across several departments.

The union argued that the administration's response was "short-sighted and ill-conceived" because the layoffs reduced educational resources, weakened support for students and harmed an institution that is important to the region's economy and education.

The arbitrator's recent decision highlights the need for further investment in public higher education. Regional universities-like WIU, which is in rural Macomb-are hit the hardest by years of underfunding, which was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the lack of adequate state support, students and families have had to bear greater costs while universities and colleges have struggled to maintain programs that are necessary to a strong public education system.

A push for more funding

On June 16, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law the state's fiscal year 2027 budget, which will increase operating funds for public universities and community colleges by 1 percent-or $13 million-from last fiscal year.

But that money is not enough, Cole said.

"If you account for inflation, that's a pay cut. That's a cut in the funds we're receiving," he said. "The state of Illinois for more than 20 years has failed to adequately fund higher education."

Without adequate state funding, students' right to a high-quality, affordable higher education is threatened. As universities and colleges are forced to cut valuable positions to save money, students will lose the resources they need to succeed in college.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers has been advocating for state lawmakers to pass the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act, a bill that would change how the Prairie State funds higher education. Instead of flat funding across the board, public institutions would be funded according to a needs-based formula. Cole, who is also a professor at WIU, said that his university is one of the worst-funded in the state. He said it has received less than half the funds it needs to provide for its students. The state's Legislature has yet to pass the bill.

As for now, Cole says, he hopes people will continue to join him and his union in the fight for more equitable funding for our public colleges and universities.

[Alvin Buyinza]