ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The union representing faculty at Monroe Community College says it’s grateful that the college isn’t laying off teaching staff, instead choosing to approve retirement incentives.

MCC had a plan to lay off teaching staff because of declining enrollment since the pandemic. However, on Monday night, the college’s board of trustees announced that there would be no layoffs. That’s because the board approved voluntary retirement and voluntary separation opportunities for eligible full-time teaching faculty.

The college announced in May that it was proposing the layoffs. Since then, college leaders have met with members of the MCC Faculty Association union and the MCC Faculty Senate – the faculty’s governing body – to work toward a possible alternative. MCC faculty and students also held a picket to protest against the layoffs.

The president of the MCC Faculty Association released a statement on Tuesday morning, saying it would continue its conversations with management. Here is the full statement:

“We are grateful that the Board and the President elected to approve retirement incentives rather than layoffs. We will continue to consult with management and maintain our focus on student success and representing our employees.”

The MCC Board of Trustees said in a statement that it’s glad the campus community came together to achieve a sustainable outcome in the college’s “fiscal health”. Here is the full statement:

“At the June 10, 2024 Monroe Community College Board of Trustees meeting, the Board approved Voluntary Retirement and Voluntary Separation opportunities for eligible full-time teaching faculty. These opportunities, combined with several other capacity-building strategies, are the outcome of conversations over the past several months between a team of representatives from the Administration, MCC’s Faculty Association Union and the Faculty Senate. These conversations have supported our on-going commitment to shared governance, honoring our collective bargaining agreement, and reducing adverse impacts on MCC students and our workforce. Details of these opportunities will be shared with the College community in the coming days.“

“Our work related to protecting our institution’s long-term financial health is far from over. Still, we are confident these measures will have a marked positive impact on the College and students. We are grateful to all in the MCC community who came together to achieve a sustainable, positive, and productive outcome as this next step to address our fiscal health. Together, we will lead MCC into the next chapter of transforming lives through equity, opportunity, innovation, and excellence with a continued focus on the success of our students.”