WSU Press editorial board calls for reinstatement of fired workers

Detroit — The editorial board of Wayne State University Press has called for the reinstatement of three top managers of the publishing house who were fired earlier this month.

More:Wayne State fires three managers in university press shakeup

The letter, posted Tuesday, was signed by the entire editorial board. It read, in part:

"We have and will continue to protest the abrupt firing of Press staff Annie Martin, Kristin Harpster, and Emily Nowak, and call for their reinstatement. We have registered our complaints with university administration."

The firings have sparked controversy within the tight-knit world of the university press. Colleagues and counterparts of the fired managers have spoken up to argue the firings were unjust and should be reversed.

The editorial board letter is the second open letter that's been written on behalf of the managers.

More:Wayne State Press writers, affiliates demand reinstatement of managers

Last week, 60 writers, editors and affiliates of the Press wrote that the firings were "a breach of trust with the authors who have built relationships and served as ambassadors of the press in the academic and wider community," one that would "undermine the ability of Wayne State Press to recruit and serve scholars and writers at all stages of the publication process."

In the time since, 25 more people have signed on to the letter. 

On Friday, Wayne State moved the university press from the management of the university's library system to the office of President M. Roy Wilson. 

In a letter to colleagues, Wilson said the university intends to support the University Press' mission and have already begun the search process to fill the positions quickly. 

Wilson ordered the University Press to begin reporting to his office through his chief of staff, Michael Wright, who also leads WDET and is vice president of marketing and communications for the university.