A group of Black, White and Latino employees at MATC have requested the MATC Board of Trustees to conduct independent investigations of unaddressed concerns affecting instructors and employees at the technical college.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
December 17, 2024
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Tuesday, during Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) Board of Trustees meeting, the African American Network (AAN) requested for the Board to conduct independent investigations and collaborative engagement with the AAN to address ongoing concerns impacting Black and Latino employees including instructors that remained unaddressed, since July 2024. Dr. Anthony Cruz, the President of MATC has learned about the concerns and employee labor concerns affecting numerous Latino and Black employees, since last July and so far hasn't taken any meaningful action to address those issues of concern while the employees continue to endure inappropriate and harmful treatment from the administration team (leadership of cabinet individuals that have practiced harmful behaviors targeted at Latinos and Blacks, which have gone unchecked). AAN told the Board of Trustees, that they have witnessed "The consolidation of power by senior leaders who have received promotions, salary increases, and the ability to restructure the college in ways that appear retaliatory toward those who have filed complaints or supported others in doing so." (Public comment session video (December 17, 2024) during Board of Trustees meeting at link:
https://youtu.be/ed93-NODo8M)
The AAN says that for months it has seen a lack of progress and engagement by the leadership team to include AAN and LUNA in meaningful communication and collaborative efforts. In order to address this concerns, the MATC Board needs to commit to independent investigations, genuine collaborative engagement and equitable oversight of Human Resources (HR) and leadership team practices.
Also, Carlos Aranda, a Licensed Professional Counselor at MATC with more than 25 years in experience and a member of LUNA, the Employee Resource Group representing Latino/a employees at MATC told the Board on Tuesday that a Latina employee from the Education Center of at Walker's Square in the Southside of Milwaukee was transferred to downtown and her transfer might have been influenced by retaliation following a formal complaint against her previous manager. She is currently on medical leave, which is significantly affecting her and he was concerned about her emotional well-being, according to Aranda.
Aranda addressed the flexible work arrangement protocol by the vice-president of the HR who could use the policy "at the general discretion of the divisional or departmental leaders, based on the operational needs of the college," which can also be used to discriminate and abuse power.
Another concern for Aranda was that MATC eliminates a specific position to terminate an employee instead of transferring the employee to a new position. This practice has been happening more often in the last two years at MATC, according to Aranda. Aranda requested for the Board to investigate these practices grounded in discrimination and retaliation.
Aranda says that many part-time faculty have been skipped from being offered full-time positions, and those affected have experienced discrimination and have been bullied by administrators and the interview committee. Additionally, MATC has hired individuals with less experience, some whom did not meet the required qualifications.
In the October Board of Trustees public meeting comment session, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) learned that the MATC HR had hired a non-bilingual instructor to teach a bilingual Economics course at MATC, which the course was advertised as a bilingual Spanish class. It is not clear, if the non-bilingual instructor was qualified to teach the bilingual course, but we do know, that he couldn't speak Spanish, which actually setup the students for failure in the bilingual course. (October video testimony:
https://youtu.be/Lm_ImpZGXn4)
Patricia Gómez, the producer-director-host of the Latino Spanish-English Bilingual Show Adelante! at Milwaukee PBS addressed the Board and advocated for all the MATC employees and herself who have faced harassment, retaliation, and discrimination within the technical college and at Milwaukee PBS. She told the Board that she has witnessed and personally endured a culture of discrimination, retaliation, harassment that persists unabated, despite multiple attempts to bring these issues to light.
Gomez told the Board, that she previously stated that she including "Carlos Aranda had met with Dr. Cruz on October 18th, as the leader of this institution, and during the meeting, she and Aranda presented Dr. Cruz with evidence of numerous instances of employee mistreatment. However, it seems that the President's Office continues to support administrators who perpetuate this toxic culture. To this day, more employees continue to come forward, revealing the unlawful practices they are being subjected to, under their supervisors. The administration at MATC has long favored individuals who are easily manipulated over those who are qualified for key positions. The favoritism has foster a system where those who are unqualified, unprepared, and hostile are given influence...This has led to a cycle of oppression, disrespect, and chaos, not just at MATC, but also at Milwaukee PBS."
According to Gómez, the President's Office continues to promote an image of change that exists only in press releases and social media posts, rather than in the real-world experiences of students and employees. MATC and Milwaukee PBS have become places of where many individuals, including herself, have been victims of discrimination, retaliation, and exploitation. We have brought these issues to light, time and time again, yet, they remain unresolved. The systemic problems within MATC are ignored, allowing administration to continue abusing power...The administration supported by the President's Office lack both the integrity and the skills needed to lead an institution that serves its diverse community. The taxpayers, African American, Latino, Asian and Caucasian deserve better. MATC should be a place of transparency, fairness, and opportunity, but instead, it is has become a place where the truth is obscured, and injustice strives, Gómez told the MATC Board of Trustees.
Jennifer Wayd who has worked at MATC for 13 years, told the Board that she has applied at least 60 times for promotional opportunities at MATC during her career at the technical college, but was unsuccessful in getting promoted claiming ongoing discrimination employment practices at MATC. A few years ago, there were four new positions available in her department, Wayd who has two Master degrees had applied for an available position as an internal candidate and was well qualified, but MATC hired four new individuals from outside the institution with no internal experience for the available positions instead of her, now those very same individuals who were previously hired by MATC are now supporting her for a full-time position she has applied for. She also claimed that she has a current manager with a vendetta against her and she doesn't believe she will get an opportunity to get promoted.
Editor's note: The MATC Board of Trustees nor Dr. Anthony Cruz, President of MATC have responded to the employees, counselor, instructors and to AAN, LUNA and the community, if proper steps will be taken to address their concerns and zero tolerance process to eliminate the hostile and toxic work environment at the technical college.
Also, the American Federation of Teachers at MATC (AFT Local 212 union) has not addressed the Board of Trustees in support of its Black, White and Latino union members affected by the alleged toxic work environment, harassment, retaliation and discrimination practices by the MATC leadership team under Dr. Cruz and the Board of Trustees.
The following attached image is MATC's response highlighted in green to HNNUSA article dated December 20, 2024
The following is the response from Carlos Aranda from MATC to Darryll Fortune's response to HNNUSA dated December 21, 2024.
Thank you, Darryll, for documenting your response to H. Nelson Goodson’s article.
This is my second time presenting to the MATC Board, and both times the MATC Administration has denied the issues of discrimination, retaliation, and harassment at Milwaukee Area Technical College. However, our community is closely watching how MATC administration addresses this systemic problem. I had expected to see corrections come from the president’s office in a different manner, but after reading your response to this article, it seems the administration is more focused on dismissing and silencing the role of AAN and LUNA.
At this moment, I am deeply concerned about the mental health and well-being of many of my coworkers who are on FMLA due to the hostile environment at MATC. If something were to happen to anyone, who will be held accountable—the MATC Board or the President’s Office?
Best regards,
Carlos A. Aranda, M.S., NCC, MAC, LPC, CSAC
Counselor - Milwaukee Campus
¡Hablo español
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Patricia Gómez from Adelante! Milwaukee PBS at MATC responded on December 21, 2024 to Darryll Fortune's response to the HNNUSA article.
The responses from the MATC spokesperson are half-truths. While he discusses whether AAN and LUNA were or were not MATC affinity groups, he fails to mention the most critical fact: LUNA initially began as a MATC affinity group, aiming to open an internal dialogue with MATC administration. However, LUNA soon realized this would be impossible because MATC’s Human Resources department denied the group’s right to advocate for issues related to workers' rights, which are at the core of the organization. As a result, LUNA had no choice but to leave MATC and become independent. MATC’s response, therefore, highlights the fact that MATC's HR and Labor Relations departments are continuously focused on controlling their surveillance and punishment systems.
Regarding MATC's response to the issue, administrators have focused on consolidating their power and increasing their salaries. Some methods of concealing these salary hikes are through "stretch assignments." bonuses and other means. To enhance transparency, it is crucial to conduct an in-depth review of who has been assigned these roles over the years and the underlying reasons for these decisions.
