MID-STATES COMMUNITY SERVICES (A) On Sunday, March 30 a fight occurred in the Club Room, the employees’ cafeteria of Mid-States Community Services’ Housing Department, between a housing administrator-intern and a building technician. The two men grappled for several seconds, rolling on the floor and throwing punches, until they were pulled apart by two interns and another technician who were standing by when the fight broke out. Aside from a bloody nose and a puffed left eye, the intern who had been fighting emerged unscathed. The technician had a torn shirt and a badly bruised right hand. Both were very angry and were ready to resume the fight if the peacemaking bystanders would only let them go. A series of incidents over the past several weeks had given rise to this outburst, and the events which followed it threatened to throw the entire Department into turmoil, perhaps even to shut it down. Two days after the fight, on Tuesday, April 1, the Associate Director for Administration for Mid-States Community Services, Frank Garrow, reflected on all that had happened the last two days and wondered what might have been done differently. He wondered, as well, what he should do next. The situation was boiling. Before you go on, jot down answers to the following: As Frank Garrow, what more do you want to know before you take action? Background Mid-States Community Services is a large, multi-site, multi-service public agency with central offices in a major U.S. Great Lakes port city. The Housing Department, located on the outskirts of the city, was created under special stock for the homeless. It also served as an internship training site for students in a public Administration program at a University nearby who had a special interest in public management. The Department’s employees are largely young and divided between the “professional” administrators and the “non-professional” technicians and support staff. This case has been adapted (June 1985) by Dr. Scott Cook, Research Associate, Harvard Business School, and Dr. Dvora Yanow, Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education, by permission of Professor David kuechle, Harvard Graduate School of Education, from a case originally prepared for use in Harvard’s Institute for Educational Management (IEM 9-680-517, Revised 10/80). It is a fictionalized account of actual events. Names, titles, and locations have been disguised. The Club Room was a popular gathering spot for the junior professional staff and interns but was also used on occasion by senior management and the technical and support staff. It consisted of a large, attractive hall in which various hot dishes and snacks were served and a bar area where one could buy soft drinks, beer and wine. The Club Room served hot food from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. and was generally crowded around the noon hour. It was not as crowded as usual on March 30 when the fight took place. The pugilists were Douglas Jones, an intern, and George Madison, a mid-grade building technician who had been employed by MCS for six years. Jones, an African-American, had recently been a defense halfback on the University of Michigan Big-10 championship football team. He was 6 feet tall and weighed 195 pounds. Madison, a 6’2”, 220 pound Caucasian, age 27, was himself an accomplished amateur boxer. Madison often came to the Club Room for a snack at noontime and, on occasion, for a beer before going home at night. He was well-known among the professional staff and sometimes socialized with them. Known as a generous spender, Madison frequently bought rounds of drinks for everyone sitting around the Club Room’s semi-circular bar or at a table when he was invited to join a group of housing administrators. He owned a white Cadillac EI Dorado, which could often be spotted in the agency parking lot into the evening hours. Although married, Madison sometimes dated women he met at the Club room. George Madison was one of several full-time building technicians assigned to the Department. He was a member of the technicians’ union, one of six unions representing the agency’s non-professional personnel. His immediate supervisor was Patrick Mulloney, Head of Support and Technical Services in the Department. Mulloney reported to the Associate Director for Administration, Frank Garrow. The fight between Madison and Jones had probably been brewing for several weeks. Jones and his fiancée, Margaret Vaughn, also an intern, ofter came to the Club Room, sometimes together, sometimes separately. Vaughn, a striking woman, had attracted Madison’s attention one day, and he offered to buy her a drink. She accepted, and the two had a friendly conversation. Vaughn became especially interested in Madison when she learned that he was the union steward for technical personnel. The two discussed the union, its history at the agency—how it had been formed and what nature of grievances arose. Vaughn especially wanted to learn about contract provisions dealing with the resolution of disputes. She explained that she hoped to move into labor relations and personnel administration some day and to become an arbitrator. Madison offered to bring copies of the collective bargaining agreements to Vaughn and to let her have copies of various arbitration decisions which had been delivered in the last several years dealing with agency problems. This initial meeting between Madison and Vaughn led to several others, always in the Club Room in the late afternoon and usually accompanied by a few drinks. Madison and Vaughn were often joined by other members of the administrative staff, and Madison soon became something of a folk hero—an attractive, bright individual who was about the same age as the interns but who, 11 years earlier, had dropped out of high school to become a building assistant, then had worked his way through an apprentice program until he became a mid-grade technician and went to work for MCS. Between his earnings from his job with the agency and freelance after-hours work, he made more than many of the professionals at MCS. Madison, in his conversations with the administrators and interns, often expressed regret that he hadn’t gone on to college as they had. The administrators and interns, conversely, said they admired Madison: here he was, making more than some of them had earned or stood to earn after graduate school, skilled in what he did, apparently happy and easily able to enjoy all that the community had to offer in terms of social life, stimulating conversation and a relaxed atmosphere in pleasant surroundings. Most of the professional staff, on the other hand, knocked themselves out with long hours and high pressure positions and looked forward to spending the next 20 years trying to pay off their debts. Conversations at the Club Room ran the full gamut and often turned to race relations. Madison had been born and raised in Virginia. His father was president of a local union, and he spent his first two years as an apprentice with that local. According to Madison, all the members were white males, but they often worked on construction jobs with blacks who were unskilled or semi-skilled. Madison recounted many tales about his experiences in Virginia with the plantation owners’ philosophy of black-white relationships, a philosophy which he said still existed when he left Virginia in the late 1970s. According to Madison his best friends were blacks—men he met at work, and men and women who associated with amateur boxing in and around the Washington-Baltimore-Richmond area. In conversations at the Club Room the often derided the professional staff for having unrealistic attitudes about civil rights, calling them elite snobs who viewed the world from the privileged perspective of the upwardly mobile. “Blacks don’t want equal rights,” he used to say. “They want to have their own way of life, and they don’t want to be measured by white man’s standards.” He accused black professionals in the Department of being elitists, the same as the whites. These views, of course, often stirred arguments at the Club Room tables, but they were mostly friendly in tone, tempered considerably by Madison’s own smiling way. It was difficult not to like him, especially when he offered to buy a round of drinks for everyone. Margaret Vaughn first came to sense that there might be trouble about three weeks before the fight. Madison asked her for a date, and she refused, saying she was engaged to be married. Madison, obviously irritated, walked away abruptly after saying:” What’s the matter, aren’t I good enough for you?” The next day, as Madison was leaving the Club Room, having stopped during his lunch hour to buy an ice cream cone, he spotted Margaret Vaughn outside, standing with a group of interns. He went up to her, stuck the ice cream cone in front of her face, and said, “Wanna lick my cone?”According to Vaughn he made the gesture in an obscene manner, and she—somewhat surprised and angered—said, “Go away. I am not interested in you!” Madison, in turn, said, “Black beauty! You are that all right. I’ll bet you can have any guy you want, any time!” and he walked away. The following week, on March 13, Margaret Vaughn and her fiancé, Douglas Jones, went to the Club Room after a meeting, and Madison was there. Vaughn and Jones sat at a table with a few friends, and Madison went over, pulled up a chair, sat down and yelled at the bartender to bring everyone a drink. He then engaged Jones in a conversation. According to Jones, they talked about many things—including football, boxing, race relations and, eventually, Margaret. Three weeks later both men tried to recall the conversation, and their versions were somewhat different. According to Jones, “Madison’ inferred’ that black women, in general, and Margaret, in particular, were not loyal to a single person. He said further that Margaret and he had dated frequently and that he intended to spend the night with her. I told him to ‘bug off’ – to get out and stay away from Margaret—that she didn’t want to see him.” Madison recalled the conversation as follows: “Jone said to me –‘I understand you’ve been seeing Margared lately. I just want you to know that she doesn’t like it and that I don’t either. I suggest you bug off!’ I told him I would not bother him or Margaret – but that I considered myself a friend of everyone there, and I didn’t intend to ‘bug off’. But I got up anyhow and walked away.” That seemed to end things, at least temporarily. However, during the following week Margaret Vaughn asked for an appointment with the head of the Human Resources Office, Dr. Nicholas Herman, a specialist in labor relations. She told Herman that the matter was personal, but she wanted to tell someone, fearing that more serious things might happen. Then she recounted the incidents regarding George Madison, Douglas Jones and herself. Herman agreed with Vaughn that Madison had probably overstepped his bounds. He also agreed that while all employees have a right to frequent the Club Room during lunch breaks and off hours, they have an obligation to treat others with respect. Dr. Herman asked Vaughn what, if anything, he ought to do. Vaughn, in response, said, “ I don’t think there’s anything you can do, but I wanted to talk to someone—to let you know that there could be trouble.” Herman said: “I appreciate that, but I feel helpless. As far as I can see, no one has gone out of control. This man, Madison, may have overstepped his bounds in things he’s said and done, but I have difficulty distinguishing between this and a few things that happen between two or more employees that go even further beyond the boundaries of propriety.” Vaughn said: “You’re right. I think we can handle this ourselves.” She thanked Dr. Herman for listening and left, saying, as she departed from his office, “ I’ll keep you informed if anything further develops.” Herman replied, “Thank you. I hope this has been helpful.” On Friday, March 28, the Club Room was less crowded than usual. Margaret Vaughn, Douglas Jones, and a close friend of Jones, John Seiler, met there after work. Seiler, a wiry 140 pounder, had been Jones’ roommate during graduate school and was also in the internship program. Upon their arrival at the cafeteria, Seiler went to the bar to buy a pitcher of beer. The other two sat down at a table to wait for him. George Madison was shanding alone at the far end of the bar, and when he saw Seiler he walked over to him, shoved him aside, and said, “I’ll buy this one.” According to Seiler, “ The shove was not a friendly tap!” Madison then paid for the pitcher of beer and took it over to the table where Vaughn and Jones were seated. Seiler followed with a second pitcher of beer plus some bags of nuts and potato chips, and he sat down too. Then, according to Seiler, Madison said: “ This is my party! Why don’t you get lost.” Siler then said, “We’ve got business here, and I think you’re not part of it.” There is some difference regarding what happened next. However, all four persons reported that Jones got up, grabbed a chair from another table and slid it between where Madison and Seiler were seated. He, Jones, stood in back of the chair and said something to Madison. According to Jones, he said: “ Thanks for the beer, George, but we’re busy trying to finish a report, and I wish you would leave. You can take the pitcher with you.” Madison said he heard Jones say: “ I’d like you to leave and stay away from this place. You’re not wanted here.” Whatever was said, Madison got up from the table and moved toward Jones. Seiler then jumped up, moved between the two and yelled, “ Cool it!” Madison turned and walked away, leaving both pitchers of beer on the table. He went back to the bar for a few minutes, then left the Club Room. On Sunday, George Madison was doing overtime, working on a new housing complex not far from the Department office which was scheduled to be opened on Tuesday, April 1. The new complex was to be named after the retiring director of MCS, and dedication ceremonies were to be held the coming weekend, to be attended by the agency’s Board of Directors, government officials, directors of other community agencies, other prominent public figures, and neighborhood residents. At about noon Madison drove over the Club Room with Frank Joyce, another technician who had been assigned to the same job. Since it was Sunday, the cafeteria was quiet, open only because of the extra work people were putting in anticipation of the opening and dedication of the new complex. Joyce and Madison had often worked together and were long-time acquaintances. The two went to the cafeteria counter to pick up sandwiches, and Madison noticed Douglas Jones sitting at a table with two other” professionals.” Jones looked up, Madison looked back, and the two men stared at each other at a distance while Madison went through the cafeteria line. As he was paying for his lunch at the cashier’s desk, he poured a cup of coffee, then he looked back toward Jones, and Jones was still staring at him. So Madison put down his cup of coffee, left his sandwich on the counter, and went over to Jones’ table. Jones got up and moved toward Madison, saying, “Is something wrong?” Madison, in response, said, “Nothing that a fist in the mouth wouldn’t solve.” Jones said, “ Do you want to come outside?” Madison, without saying anything, moved toward the door. It’s not clear exactly what was said next. At least three witnesses were there, but no one could state who threw the first punch. Within seconds the two men were on the floor, slugging each other. Jones’ two companions leapt up and tried to break up the fight, and they were joined by Frank Joyce, the technician. Eventually, the three succeeded in breaking up the men—two of them holding onto Jones and telling Madison to back off. Joyce stood in front of Madison—then backed him away after saying, “If you’re going to hit him, you’ve got to hit me first.” Aftermath At about 3 p.m. on Sunday, Thomas Hotchkiss, Head of Internships and Training Programs for MCS, received a phone call at his home. It was James Robertson, Acting Coordinator of Internships. Robertson, apologizing for calling Hotchkiss at home, told him about the fight—relating the story told him by Doug Jones and his two companions. He traced the events of the last several weeks and said that he, Robertson, and a few of the interns would like to meet with Hotchkiss as soon as possible on Monday—that the situation was hot, and many people were in an uproar about George Madison’s conduct. Hotchkiss, after listening to the account, said: “ In my opinion this man Madison ought to be removed from the Department tomorrow morning.” Hotchkiss agreed to meet the managers at 2:30 p.m. on Monday and said that in the meantime, he would contact Patrick Mulloney, Madison’s supervisor, and ask him to suspend Madison until further notice. By the next morning—Monday, March 31—word had passed quickly about the fight the day before, and many said they were not surprised. Some called Madison a “troublemaker”, a “nigger baiter”, “sexist.” And some related other instances where he had gotten into near-fights—making advances to women, sometimes doing things that were interpreted as obscene. All of this was passed on to Hotchkiss at the 2:30 meeting, which was attended by James Robertson, Douglas Jones, John Seiler, Margaret Vaughn, and six other members of the professional staff. All except Robertson and Seiler were black. Hotchkiss told them that he had talked to Patrick Mulloney that morning and that Madison was not working that day—having been promised the day off the week before in return for working Sunday. He said, however, that he was scheduled to meet with Mulloney and Madison the next morning, Tuesday, April 1. He essentially repeated to the group what he had said to Robertson the day before—with three qualifiers (underlined in the following quote): Hotchkiss urged them not to take matters into their own hands, promising to meet with them again on Wednesday. They set a 4:00 p.m. date for the Wednesday meeting. The next morning, Tuesday, Patrick Mulloney came to Hotchkiss’ office. He said he had talked to Madison about the incident and that Madison wished to apologize to the interns. However, according to Mulloney, Madison claimed that Jones had been the aggressor and that he, Madison, was only defending himself. The rest of the conversation, according to Mulloney, went something like this: Hotchkiss: “I don’t for a minute believe that your man was defending himself. I had a dozen staff members in here yesterday, threatening to take things into their own hands, and they were all in essential agreement on the facts. We can’t have that man mixing with the professional staff, particularly the interns. He’s a menace. In fact, I think he has psychological problems.” Mulloney: “Wait a minute, Tom. You haven’t heard his side of things. I suggest you hear him out before coming to any conclusions.” Hotchkiss: “I’m prepared to do that. Bring him over here.” At about 10:30 Mulloney returned to Hotchkiss’ office along with George Madison. Hotchkiss sat behind his large desk with the bright morning sun shining through the window over his shoulder, directly into the face of Madison as he sat down. Mulloney didn’t notice this, and Madison raised no objection at the time. Hotchkiss then told Madison that although they’d never met, he had come to know him through the interns and administrative staff. Mulloney related the rest of Hotchkiss’ words, as follows: “If all I have heard is only 25 percent true, we don’t have any need for you around here. The interns are calling you a’ nigger baiter,’ a’ troublemaker,’ and have said you’re treating our women with disrespect. We’re not living in the dark ages here. We had our share of grievances and work actions in the last several years and people like you set them off. I suggest you start looking for a job elsewhere, now.” Madison: “ Mr. Hotchkiss, there is another side to the story, and I think you ought to hear it.” Hotchkiss: “Tell it to Pat [Mulloney]. I have other matters to attend to. Good day.” Mulloney: “ Tom, I think we’d better talk about this further. There are some things you don’t know, and I’m afraid you’ve overstepped your bounds.” Hotchkiss: “ Look. I’ve heard enough. The Director doesn’t need any more problems than he’s got already. These interns are ready to take things into their own hands, and I intend to prevent it. I hope you don’t plan to aggravate them any more!” Mulloney and Madison left the office, both of them incensed that Hotchkiss had apparently taken the interns’ stories as being true and was unwilling to listen further. He had hardly let Madison talk at all. Dr. Herman’s Involvement Following the meeting between the interns and Hotchkiss on Monday morning, Margaret Vaughn knocked on Dr. Herman’s door. He was in his office and listened while Vaughn related the incidents of the previous days. She said the interns and others were upset about Madison’s conduct, but they did not want to cause him to be fired. “If he would just stay away from the cafeteria, everything would be all right,” said Vaughn. Following Vaughn’s visit, Herman called Hotchkiss. He said that interns had informed him about the Madison situation and offered his assistance to Hotchkiss, if he wanted it, in trying to resolve the situation. Hotchkiss thanked Herman and invited him to attend Wednesday’s 4:00 p.m. meeting. Herman said he would cancel another appointment and might be a bit late, but that he would be there. The Grievance Following their meeting with Hotchkiss, Mulloney told Madison to take the rest of the day off. Mulloney said that Hotchkiss had no authority to decide who works and who doesn’t work in the technical service area, but he didn’t want to risk further confrontations between Madison and the interns, at least for the rest of the day. Madison, obviously angry, said, “I’ll take off, but I expect to be paid for the day.” Mulloney: “ We’ll talk about pay when you get back. Come and see me first thing in the morning.” Madison: “ I think I’m getting a bum rap. Nobody’s heard my side so far. These guys have drummed up a plot against me just because I made pass at one of their women.” Mulloney: “Cool it, George. I agree you’ve probably gotten a bum rap. But do me a favor, and clear out. And don’t hang around the Club Room for a few days. It’s for your own good. These people can be mean, so let’s not give them any temptation.” Madison: “O.K. You’re the boss. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Madison checked out, but he went directly to the union office, looking for Clarence miller, General Secretary of the Union Council. Miller represented the technicians and other unionized employees at Mid-States, who had joined together for negotiations and had a single collective bargaining agreement. Madison found Miller in his office and said he had a grievance—that he had been sent home for the day by Mulloney and that Hotchkiss, in a kangaroo court earlier that day, had virtually fired him. He told Miller about the fight on Sunday and about earlier instances involving Margaret Vaughn, Douglas Jones, and other interns and professional staff in the Club Room. As steward for the Department’s technical crew, Madison had frequent contact with Miller, and there was a certain fondness of each man for the other. In fact, Madison was extremely popular among members of the non-professional staff, just as he had apparently been with the professionals. He was a hard worker, and regularly did a little bit extra—helping out the people he worked with, covering for them when they were sick, under the weather or when they wanted to leave a little early. When he handled grievances raised by members of the Union Council, he did it with vigor. He often worked in areas of MCS where other employees, unionized or non-unionized, also worked, such as the central dining room, the small library, and the computer center and came to know a great many employees by name. Like the professionals, the non-professionals knew him to be a generous spender, and they often joined him for a few drinks after work at the Club Room. After hearing Madison’s story, Clarence Miller called Mulloney. He asked Mulloney if Madison had been suspended or discharged. Mulloney said he didn’t know—that he had told Madison to come and see him the next morning. Miller, in turn, said, “ I hope you know you’re sitting on a powder keg. If you take action against Madison, you’re going to shut down the whole deal with the union—and that might just shut down the whole agency.” Mulloney: “ I know, I know. Keep your shirt on, will you? I want to work something out, if I can. Madison’s in big trouble, I hope you know. There’s more than one side to this story, and I don’t think any of us knows it all yet.” Miller told Mulloney He’d be in touch with him. Then he hung up and talked some more with Madison. He told him to go home for the day and to check with him in the morning after he saw Mulloney. In the meantime, Miller said he was going to see Frank Garrow. Meeting between Clarence Miller and Frank Garrow At 3:30 that afternoon Clarence Miller went to the office of Frank Garrow, Associate Director for Administration. Under the collective bargaining agreement Garrow represented management at all third step grievance meetings involving the unionized staff. This was the final step before arbitration. Since Miller represented the union members at that stage, these two men had developed a close working relationship over the years. Probably no two people were better acquainted with union-management relations at MCS. While they often argued with each other, they also had great mutual respect. Most of their problems were solved before formal grievances ever got to the third step level, because Miller and Garrow tried to alert each other to problems that were brewing. Garrow, in the spirit of accommodation, gave priority to Miller whenever he asked for a meeting. Garrow: “Did you get a cup of coffee, Clarence?” Miller: “Virginia said she would brew up a fresh pot. I don’t understand how a bum like you deserves such a fine woman for a secretary.” Garrow: “My wife says the same thing about herself. How do I deserve such fine women? You tell me!” Miller: “ We’ve got a problem, and frankly I’m worried. This one could blow us out of the water.” Garrow: “Are you referring to George Madison?” Miller: “Yes. I gather Mulloney’s talked to you already?” Garrow: “Mulloney—hell! The director called. He said some of the black administrators—he mentioned no names—had met him at lunch and asked what we intended to do about the fight. Stafford does not like surprises, and this one caught him cold.” Miller: “ What did he do?” Garrow: “ In short, I guess he told them he didn’t know anything about it. So they ‘briefed’ him—saying that George Madison had been getting drunk in the Club Room, making obscene remarks and that he got into a fight on Sunday with one of the interns. I guess he bloodied him up a bit. At any rate, Stafford told them he’d check into it—that he was sure it would be handled in an appropriate manner. Then he called me—madder than hell. He does not like surprises! Memories of earlier ‘affairs’ that went ‘out of control’ still stick in his mind and, as you know, the Board, the high profile government officials and prominent community people are here for the retirement party and dedication ceremonies this week. It’s an important time, and the Director doesn’t want any embarrassments.” Miller: “Mulloney told Madison to go home for the day—to check with him tomorrow. As I understand, Hotchkiss got involved and told Madison this morning to start looking for another job.” Garrow: “ What in hell does Hotchkiss know? It looks like we’ve got a little organizational problem here.” Miller: “I hate to ruin your day, but I thought you had better know.” Garrow: “ Thanks. I’ll be in touch.” As Miller was getting up to leave, Patrick Mulloney entered the Associate Director’s office carrying three cups of coffee. He asked Miller to stay. The three men talked for the next half hour, Miller making it clear that any disciplinary action against Madison would likely result in a sympathy strike by others—especially if the discipline was severe. Mulloney: “George is a hell of a good worker and a nice guy. But sometimes he turns from Jekyll to Hyde—he’s got a fierce temper, thay tell me—especially after a few drinks. Miller: “He’s a well-built man. I wouldn’t want to tangle with him.” Mulloney: “He won a few amateur boxing titles not too long ago, and he keeps himself in excellent shape.” Garrow: “What’s your plan for tomorrow morning?” Mulloney: “That’s why I’m here. I need your advice.” And that he intended to be there. Upon learning this, Garrow felt somewhat relieved knowing that Herman, a professional colleague, might be able to at least keep Hotchkiss from making commitments as the alleged spokesman for the agency. In addition he might help cool the situation. Meeting of Wednesday, April 2, 4:00 p.m. The meeting took place as scheduled. Those in attendance were Hotchkiss, who sat at his desk, Patrick Mulloney, Dr. Herman and four interns: Douglas Jones, Margaret Vaughn, John Seiler, and James Robertson, Intern Coordinator. At approximately 4:10 p.m. the office door opened, and Director Charles Srafford poked his head inside, asking Hotchkiss to come to the outer office. In the absence of Hotchkiss, the parties in the office evidenced confusion about the purpose of the meeting. So Dr. Herman took charge. He asked the interns to recount, as best they could, all of the events that led to the fight on Sunday, the 30th. Mulloney was obviously nervous about this, but he had little choice but to sit and listen. At approximately 4:30 Hotchkiss returned, sat at his desk and appeared to be going through some papers—not apparently paying attention to what was being said by the others. Margaret Vaughn did most of the talking, but all four interns participated in relating the facts, as they saw them, to Mulloney and Herman. Then Herman told the interns that Madison had not been at work that day and would be reporting the next morning. He asked what they thought the Department should do. All four said they thought he should be fired. This, of course, did not jibe with what Vaughn had told Herman in his office on Monday. Mulloney then interrupted, saying, “There are two sides to the stolry. We’re convicting a man without even letting him be heard!” It was then about 5:15 p.m. Hotchkiss got up, put on his coat, picked up his briefcase and said: “ I’ll leave the office to you. Please turn off the lights when you leave,” and he walked out. Margaret Vaughn, responding to Mulloney, said: “George Madison is a nice enough person, most of the time. But he should not be around management interns. Can’t he be assigned somewhere else?” Mulloney: “How can you assign someone to a job in this Department where he’s not in contact with the professional staff?” Robertson: “You can at least tell him to stay out of the Club Room.” Mulloney: “He’s on his own time when he’s at the Club. The place is open to everyone. How can we discriminate against him?” Dr. Herman then interrupted. Addressing himself to the interns, he suggested that the easiest thing for them to recommend would be that Madison be discharged. This way Madison would go away, there would be no more fights in the Club Room, no more encounters between him and the interns, and everyone could to be willing at least to discuss this for a few minutes—to explore some other alternatives. Bear in mind, Madison is a married man. He has six years of seniority in MCS and is a highly-respected technician. We’re asking Pat Mulloney to do something that could ruin the career of a promising man.” The interns then rose to the challenge, and for the next hour they participated, almost enthusiastically, in an exploration of workable solutions, short of discharge or transfer. Mulloney participated as well, with slightly less enthusiasm. Finally, at about 6:45, the parties came up with a package. It contained four elements: 1.Madison would apologize to each of the interns—Jones, Vaughn and Seiler—for his actions on Sunday and give them assurances that there would be no further such incidents. 2.Mulloney would inform Madison that any further “incident” between himself and a trainee would result in his discharge. 3.Mulloney would advise Madison not to frequent the Club Room for the next two months (after which time the present intern group—Jones, Vaughn and Seiler among them—would have completed the training program and most likely moved into positions elsewhere in the agency or in other agencies). 4.Madison could return to work on Thursday. After a certain amount of prodding from Dr. Herman, Mulloney agreed to present the proposal to Madison. Mulloney said he was reasonably convinced he could get Madison to agree, because he knew that Madison himself was worried about being discharged. The four-point plan might be a welcome alternative, especially if it didn’t involve a loss of pay. The next morning Mulloney, in the presence of Clarence Miller, presented the plan to Madison, not telling him that it had been formulated by the interns. Both Mulloney and Miller pointed out that while they realized the whole series of incidents had two sides and that Madison hadn’t voiced his, the probability of further difficulties was high if he didn’t accept. Miller, in turn, said to Madison that if he wanted to file a grievance he could—that the union would carry the case to arbitration, if necessary. “But,” said Miller, “you’re not losing any money, and maybe a loss of a little face isn’t too bad when the stakes are this high.” Madison agreed, and this information was later conveyed to Hotchkiss, Associate Director Garrow, Dr. Herman, and Director Stafford. Hotchkiss, who had left the Wednesday meeting early, called Mulloney and congratulated him, saying, “Pat, it’s been a pleasure to work with you on this. It’s good to know we can hammer out our problems together.” Mulloney thanked him, but his relief was only temporary. On Friday morning, April 4, Mulloney received the following memorandum. MID-STATES COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing Department MEMORANDUM April 3, 19 TO: Patrick Mulloney FROM: Thomas Hotchkiss I want to confirm this morning’s telephone conversation. As I said this morning, I wanted you to know how grateful we throughout the agency are to you for your thoughtful and careful handling of the recent series of incidents concerning the member of the technical staff and several of our interns. Both Director Stafford and I feel that you could not have been more helpful and cooperative, and we are very grateful and highly appreciative for all the assistance and the considerable number of hours you have invested toward solution of the problem. I now believe that the solution consisting of the technician’s apologies to each of the interns, his assurance to you and to them that there will be no further incidents, and your communicating to him that any further incident would result in his being dismissed from the agency, adds up to a good solution with one possible concern only remaining. That concern is the one that Director Stafford and I share; namely, that because of the erratic behavior of the technician in question, we would like to have you discuss this with Dr. Andrew Roseberger, Head of MCS Health Services, and arrange for the technician to be interviewed and thereby certified by competent medical staff. I realize that this may create a new and difficult problem for you, but as I mentioned this morning, I do feel that this is important, and so does Director Stafford. Again with thanks for all your efforts in this problem, Yours very truly, Thomas M. Hotchkiss Head of internships and Training Programs Cc: Director Charles Stafford Waldo R. Baker, Associate Director (MCS) Human Resources and Administration Patrick McElleney, Associate Director (HD) Personnel