Dear Editors,
I want to add my voice to those who have called for transparency from the Personnel Committee regarding the Joe Holtz suspension. The committee said the Linewaiters’ Gazette’s article about the suspension was inaccurate but did not indicate why. They claim privacy issues preclude them from being transparent. I understand wanting to protect Joe’s privacy, but he has been open about the situation. Has the committee asked Joe if he would waive his right to privacy in this case? If it’s the privacy of committee members they want to protect, that concerns me. Shouldn’t the membership know how the personnel committee makes decisions? Don’t they act on behalf of the membership?
A 30-day suspension without pay is a harsh penalty for what seems to have been an inadvertent violation of rules that don’t appear to have been clearly disseminated. Let’s have the Personnel Committee admit to a mistake here and restore Joe’s lost wages.
In cooperation,
John Wilson