Point Park Faculty Union Speaks Out After Layoffs
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The union of full-time faculty members at Point Park University is speaking out against layoffs given to 17 employees.
In a Zoom meeting Friday, the union said between the layoffs and the departures of faculty who opted to retire, the full-time faculty will be reduced by more than 20 percent.
Photography professor Ben Schonberger, who received a layoff notice, says the university is trying to pit faculty members against each other.
"The blame that has been put on senior faculty for not taking a retirement is really a cruel thing to do in an effort to save younger faculty the possibility of having a job and some senior faculty might not be able to retire," said Schonberger.
The university says the layoffs are necessary due to financial difficulties from the pandemic, and they're allowed by the collective bargaining agreement. The union disputes that.
