Feeding Eastern’s students everyday is no easy task for a skeleton kitchen staff.

“Right now food services-the cooks and kitchen laborers-they run pretty much bare bones as far as staffing goes,” said Matt Pederson, president of AFSCME Local 981, the campus civil service union. “It’s all they can do to keep up with the service demand of the students now.”

Food Services has been unable to fill vacancies because of a university-wide hiring freeze, which has been in place since Jan. 7.

State appropriated funds have been slow to come in, leaving the university struggling to meet its financial obligations and cutting costs wherever it can.

A letter sent to state officials Tuesday, signed by all of the presidents and chancellors of Illinois’ public universities-including President Bill Perry-said, “Without full funding of our appropriations in a timely manner, we will be forced to take even more drastic actions.”

Perry said those actions may have to be layoffs and furloughs.

“We’ve always said those are our last resorts,” Perry said. “We’ve been doing everything we can to avoid that.”

The building service workers and Food Services contract does not have furlough provisions. If necessary, workers would be subject to layoffs.

“Whether it’s furloughs or layoffs, you would use whatever tools you have available,” Perry said.

Pederson said Food Services employees are already laid off several weeks every year because of school breaks.

“They’re not getting paid, and they can’t draw unemployment because they’re considered seasonal,” Pederson said. “For some, it’s nine, 10 or 11 weeks out of the year. It’s a bigger impact on the lower paid employees.”

Pederson said Food Services would suffer if positions are not filled and staff members are laid off.

“Can you imagine three cooks trying to cook for 800 or 900 kids?” Pederson said. “Can you imagine three kitchen laborers trying to unload four semis a day, plus keep up with everything else that goes on with the kitchens? People are going to be spread thin.”

Sarah Ruholl can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected]