Rumor Control: The Gonzalez Incident

As some people have expressed concern over our asking Dr. Gonzalez to leave the PJCFA general meeting on Thursday, January 29, we wanted you to understand the whole situation.

Below is the text of the letter which I sent to Dr. Gonzalez on the evening of January 29 and his response. In addition, Tom Wazlavek, our UFF liaison, followed Dr. Gonzalez from the room and spoke to him, explaining why Dr. Gonzalez could not be in the room. As you can see, Dr. Gonzalez was not upset or angered. In fact, he completely understood our position AND our concerns.

Dr. Gonzalez,

I wanted to assure you that there was no personal animosity involved in our asking you not to attend the meeting this afternoon. Since we were discussing the administration's initiation of retrenchment and the progress of both impasse and the outstanding grievances, it would not have been appropriate for a representative of the administration to be present.

In addition, as I hope the senior administrators are aware, many faculty members are almost literally terrified about losing their jobs. Because of the secrecy surrounding the process, they fear that speaking out could cause them to lose points on the retrenchment worksheets or to be considered as troublemakers and targeted for a pink slip. Having you in the room would only have increased their anxiety.

We do appreciate all that you have done for PJC over the years and the superhuman job you have assumed this year. After you left, I mentioned that you had turned down the raise accompanying your promotion----the room erupted in universal, spontaneous applause. Your sacrifice and your dedication are well-known.

Should you wish to present the administration's position on retrenchment to the faculty and field questions at another time, we would be happy to set up that meeting. The faculty have questions and concerns which can only be addressed by you or Dr. Meadows. The lack of information is a major factor in the faculty's fear and the plunging morale at PJC.

Thank you for your concern over PJC's future.

Dr. Gonzalez's response follows:

Paige,

I did not take what occurred today as personal. My visit was only a goodwill visit to assure the PJC Faculty that we are all in this situation together and maybe answer any questions that would not put me in a position of being accused of bargaining away from the table. I want to assure you and the other members of the faculty that I am also terrified of what this economic Tsunami that seems to be sweeping over Florida and much of the nation might do to higher education. I do not sleep well at night, and I have not been much fun to be around at home as I worry about what could happen to our College.

I can assure you that the administration is not going to retaliate against faculty for asking questions. If we can not take the difficult questions and answer them honestly and professionally we do not deserve to be administrators. Trust to critical to what we do, and I can assure you we want your trust. We often have to make difficult decisions for the betterment of the College, but we need to be prepared defend our decisions to all who question our actions. I am a long way from being perfect, but I know that people are watching what I do.

I will share your concerns with Dr. Meadows. I can assure you that we both have the same fear about the future and want to do everything possible to retain all of our faculty. I am sure that both Dr. Meadows and I would be pleased to address issues that are not reserved to the bargaining table if asked.

Martin

If you have any questions over the situation, please feel free to ask me!

Paige N. Anderson
Chief Negotiator, PJCFA