Western Washington University contractor to lay off 183 campus workers

With Western Washington University offering mostly online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, a major contractor announced it is reducing staff.

Aramark, which handles the dining services at the university, submitted paperwork to the state announcing it is laying off 183 people. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification stated that the layoffs would start March 15 and that the state’s WorkSource center will begin outreach to the impacted employees.

An email statement from Chris Collom, who represents the company’s communications department, stated the pandemic was a factor in the layoffs.

Earlier this month Western announced that its spring and summer quarter classes will mostly be done remotely in 2021.