WORCESTER—A union representing professional staff at Quinsigamond Community College has taken a rare step by issuing a vote of no confidence in President Luis Pedraja, citing what it calls a pattern of inequitable treatment toward employees of color.
The April 10 vote by the Quinsigamond chapter of the Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC) came after three professional staff members—each a person of color—were not reappointed by the college. The union contends the decision is part of a troubling trend.
“All three recently non-reappointed unit professional staff members are people of color,” said Margaret Wong, president of the MCCC and QCC’s local union chapter, in an interview with the Worcester Guardian. “Their departures follow the non-reappointment of two other BIPOC staff members in 2023. Meanwhile, no white professional staff in our bargaining unit have faced this during the same period.”
The college, in response, has defended its process. In a statement to the Guardian, the QCC Board of Trustees expressed full support for Pedraja and his employment decisions, describing them as lawful, appropriate, and consistent with union contracts.
“The board takes these concerns seriously,” the trustees said. “After careful consideration, the Board of Trustees expresses its continuing support of and confidence in President Luis Pedraja.”
Wong said the impacted employees were placed on immediate administrative leave, lost access to email, and were barred from student interaction—an unusually abrupt and isolating departure from past practices, she noted.
Pedraja has said the non-reappointments were justified and rooted in evidence. “The reasons for the non-reappointments were thoroughly documented, and they were the appropriate decisions based on the available evidence,” he said in an earlier statement to the Worcester Business Journal.
He also called for patience during a review by the college’s Executive Director of Access and Opportunity, John Holloway. But Wong dismissed that review as ineffective, saying Holloway only recently started at QCC and took part in earlier grievance steps without providing findings.
“We do not have confidence in the process,” said Wong “The investigation appears to be internal window-dressing rather than a genuine attempt at accountability.”
The union’s no-confidence vote has since been followed by a coordinated “work-to-rule” action. Wong explained that staff are now limiting their duties to what’s contractually required—no more volunteer committee work, mentorship outside scheduled hours, or unpaid labor that has historically sustained the college.
“This action is meant to highlight how much of our labor the college depends on that goes uncompensated,” Wong said.
Despite the growing tension, the QCC Board remains firm in its stance.
“President Pedraja has ensured that QCC’s process for making employment decisions follows all procedures and processes provided by the agreements collectively bargained with our unions,” the board’s statement said.
Pedraja thanked the board for its support, stating, “I remain committed to advancing our shared mission of making QCC a place that fully embodies the principles of equity, fairness, and belonging.”
For the union, that commitment is in question.
“We’re trying to persuade [Pedraja] that he needs to act now and not wait till these individuals are permanently gone,” Wong said.
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