MARQUETTE, MI-- NMU officials are asking the members of one of its unions to voluntarily go on furlough.
AFSCME local 1094 covers food services, maintenance, and police officers. About 100 members received information Thursday about taking temporary leave. They would be eligible for unemployment and stay on Northern’s health care plans.
Furloughs would happen between May 17 and July 31.
NMU President Fritz Erickson says layoffs, involuntary furloughs, and the involvement of other departments are possible. They depend on how long the “stay-at-home” order is in place, when the university can become fully functional again, and the level of expected cuts in state funding.
Erickson recently announced the school faces a budget deficit of at least $8 million because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
