More Than $622.68K Of Wage Theft By MATC Reported Affecting Over 700 Part-time Faculty Employees This Past Summer

Over 700 part-time faculty members at the Milwaukee Area Technical College system have been affected, and underpayment (wage theft) complaint claims have been filed with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, which a case worker has been assigned to investigate the alleged wage theft for hundreds of part-time faculty employees.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

September 5, 2025

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Friday, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) learned that on August 29, 2025, the AFT Local 212 (MATC union) sent out an updated email to all part-time union faculty conforming that a wage theft (under payment) had occurred at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and advising its membership to file claims with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). Sources at MATC say, the wage theft was not noticed by part-time faculty until union members began to complain to Local 212.

MATC without notifying its part-time faculty this past Summer, the administration decided to cut 7.23% from employees hourly wages, which nearly $900 of reduction hourly wages were cut for more than 700 part-time faculty employees totalling an estimated $622,688.57.

HNNUSA confirmed that DWD consolidated the hundreds of part-time employee complaints into one case launching an investigation into the under payment wage theft claims, according to a credible source.

Apparently, the more than half a million of dollars wage theft at the technical college happened under the watch of MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz who has been on the spotlight for allowing a culture of fear, harassment, intimidation,  hostile work environment and retaliation to continue at the college.

Students, employees and local community members have been protesting Cruz's lack of leadership to resolve major issues plaguing at MATC and affecting students of color and employees, which a protest was held on August 26, 2025 during the MATC Board of Trustees meeting claiming that they have lost confidence in Dr. Cruz and are requesting the Board of Trustees to postpone his investure scheduled for September 19, 2025.

In late August, Dr. Cruz eliminated the Multicultural Affairs Office and terminated four student services specialists without giving them an option to transfer to other available positions at MATC.

According to MATC AFT Local 212, the technical college administration failed to offer "transfer rights to the four employees adversely affected by the closing, as per page 34 of the MATC Employee Handbook which states that, "full-time employees subject to involuntary layoff shall be considered for reassignment."