ILL-inois: Chicago State University sends layoff notices to all 900 employees

Lake Michigan on
Chicago's South side

Chicago State University is located not too far from the home of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Party who doesn't allow any legislation onto the floor of the state house unless he approves it.

While CSU won't close and not all 900 employees will be laid off, this news is another black eye for Illinois.

Madigan, who has been House speaker for 30 of the last 32 years, is in an eight month-long budget battle with Bruce Rauner, the Republican reformer who in 2014 became the first Illinois governor to win a majority of the vote since 2002.

From ABC Chicago:

Staff could be cut at Chicago State University in the next couple months if state funding isn't received, CSU officials said Friday, emphasizing that the South Side university will not close.

CSU President Thomas J. Calhoun Jr. said all of the university's 900 employees will receive a notice about possible layoffs if the state does not approve a budget. By law, the public university needs to issue a notice to employees about layoffs at least two months ahead of time.

"Today is notice to employees that if we are unable to recover any state appropriations, there will be layoffs," Calhoun said.