On March 18th 2025, more than a dozen full-time Veterinary Technologists in the Department of Comparative Medicine were informed that the department would stop renewing contracts of five part-time weekend staff and that full-time employees would replace them working weekends. This decision was made without consultation of the affected staff. Staff were told that the changes are being made to improve continuity of animal care; however, Veterinary Technologists are united in their concerns that the proposed changes would:
- Disrupt animal welfare, critical research support, and facility operations by reducing staffing by an estimated 2,000+ hours/year and increasing unpredictability in scheduling — exacerbating existing concerns around sustainable staffing levels needed to maintain adequate animal care standards and research needs
- Increase already high rates of stress, burnout, and workplace injury within the department which has only been increasing over the last 4 years and is driven by understaffing
- Reduce job opportunities where students and new grads can gain experience by eliminating part-time weekend positions in the department
We, the undersigned, are concerned about the impact these changes will have on research and animal care standards within the Faculty of Medicine and in the working conditions of the Veterinary Technologists who enable this vital research. We ask that the University retract the proposed changes in adherence to its reputation as a top employer and top research University.