Arbitrator Rules WIU's Mass Layoff of Academic Librarians Was Illegal, Orders Reinstatement and Relief

"The arbitrator’s decision is powerful vindication of the union's position and of the faculty and staff who stood together to defend student needs and educational quality."

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MACOMB, Ill. — The University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Local 4100 is celebrating a major victory for students, faculty, staff, and Illinois public higher education after an arbitrator ruled that Western Illinois University's decision last year to lay off all nine of its academic librarian faculty and two additional bargaining unit professionals was illegal.

The arbitrator’s decision orders that affected employees must be made whole financially and restored to their positions if they choose to return. The two additional professionals whose layoffs were also found to violate the collective bargaining agreement are entitled to reinstatement and back pay, as well.

The ruling validates the union's longstanding position that Western Illinois University (WIU) violated the employment contract and undermined essential educational services.

"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 WIU Chapter President Merrill Cole. "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."

The layoffs eliminated critical academic support services and represented one of the most drastic workforce reductions WIU administration has enacted over the last few years as budget and enrollment challenges have increased. UPI has consistently argued that the administration's response to those challenges has relied on short-sighted and ill-conceived decisions that diminish educational resources, weaken support for students, and further damage an institution that serves as an economic and educational anchor for the region.

"The arbitrator’s decision is powerful vindication of the union's position and of the faculty and staff who stood together to defend student needs and educational quality," said UPI President and Illinois Federation of Teachers Membership Secretary John Miller. "The arbitrator affirmed that contractual rights matter and that university administrations cannot simply disregard them when making decisions that affect people's livelihoods and essential student services. This ruling reinforces the principle that those who deliver educational services deserve fairness, respect, and a voice in decisions that affect their work."

UPI leaders said the case also highlights the urgent need for greater state investment in Illinois public higher education. Regional public universities like WIU, Eastern Illinois University and others have been among the hardest hit by chronic underfunding, forcing institutions to navigate difficult financial realities while trying to maintain quality educational opportunities for students.

For more than four decades, inadequate state support has shifted greater costs onto students and families while leaving universities struggling to sustain the programs and services that define a strong public education system.

The consequences have been especially severe for regional institutions that serve first-generation students, rural communities, and working families and are the economic anchors for their communities.

Illinois lawmakers had the opportunity to address the issue during the most recent legislative session, but they chose not to. Despite receiving broad support, legislators did not bring House Bill 1581/Senate Bill 13—the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act—to a vote, missing a critical opportunity to begin investing an additional estimated $140 million annually in public universities, prioritizing those with the greatest need.

"Illinois cannot continue asking its public universities, especially the regional ones, to do more with less," Miller insisted. "Governor Pritzker and lawmakers must prioritize higher education funding and provide universities with the resources necessary to deliver outstanding educational opportunities and keep tuition affordable. If we are serious about strengthening our economy and expanding opportunity, we must invest in the institutions that educate the next generation of teachers, nurses, social workers, business leaders, and public servants. Without meaningful investment, we risk losing even more students to out-of-state institutions or forcing them to abandon their higher education dreams altogether."

UPI said the arbitration decision sends a clear message that contractual obligations must be honored and that efforts to address financial challenges cannot come at the expense of workers' rights, educational quality, or student success.

“Our union looks forward to collaborating with WIU leadership in the days ahead to address fiscal concerns and to strengthen the university for the sake of the students and community who rely on it,” added Miller.

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The Western Illinois University chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI, IFT Local 4100) represents about 500 faculty, instructors, academic support professionals and technical support staff at Western Illinois University in Macomb. UPI represents more than 3,000 education professionals at eight of Illinois' 12 public universities and is an affiliate of the 1.7-million member American Federation of Teachers. UPI is also part of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and is a local union in the 105,000-member Illinois Federation of Teachers.