The AFM Observer

Reading the administrative (tea) leaves

Another AFM-related blog has woken up, after a long rest, to the goings-on in Los Angeles, and has reached some conclusions of wrongdoing already. I won't quote from the relevant blog post, but essentially the (anonymous) author suggests that Terri Cadiente was placed on administration leave, rather than being fired, because Tom Lee directed her conduct and doesn't want her to say so.

That's a possible explanation, I suppose, but not the most likely one. Administrative leave is not an alternative to termination, as Wikipedia explains:

Usually, an employee is placed on administrative leave when a constituent (student, parent, patient, suspect, victim, etc.) makes an allegation of misconduct against them. Many institutions choose to remove the employee from the situation while investigating such allegations.

Placing an employee facing credible allegations of misconduct on administrative leave would be the correct course of action whether the employer wanted to retain the employee or terminate her. Not placing an accused employee on leave would risk serious legal liability for the employer should the allegations be true, especially if the conduct were to be repeated. But firing an AFM employee facing credible allegations without a serious, good faith investigation would risk a wrongful termination lawsuit against the AFM.

The only conclusion that can reasonably be drawn at this time, if indeed Cadiente's administrative leave is related to the instrusion into Local 47's computers - and that is only supposition at this point - is that there is credible evidence linking her to what could credibly be considered an unauthorized intrusion. "Credible evidence" is not proof; it's merely a necessary but insufficient condition for proof.

Datagate

Something weird is happening in LA, judging by this notice on Local 47's website yesterday:

Recently we discovered that the Local's computer database was remotely accessed in a potentially inappropriate manner by the West Coast AFM office. Although the Local had granted the AFM permission to remotely access certain portions of our database, we have determined that additional data, which our authorization did not cover, was accessed by the AFM West Coast office. We are currently investigating the matter fully and as a precautionary measure it was determined that the Local should advise you directly of this information.

To our knowledge, NO confidential membership data was corrupted and/or retrieved through this unauthorized access. As soon as the unauthorized access was discovered, the Local's Information Technology personnel cut off, for the time being, the ability of the AFM to electronically access the Local's database.

This website posting is for the purpose of making to make you fully aware of the potential breach that may have occurred regarding your personal data.

Local 47 was hacked by the AFM? How very interesting. Who did the hacking?

At this point there's been no public announcement of any credible allegations against individuals. But, a few days before this announcement, Tom Lee did apparently inform the IEB that the head of the AFM's West Coast office, Terri Cadiente, had been placed on administrative leave for unspecified reasons.

Terri Cadiente, it's worth remembering, was appointed by Tom just last summer to be the de facto head of the EMSD, with no consultation with RMA or the EMSD Steering Committee or anyone else. Terri Cadiente, as a power within the AFM, is entirely a creation of Tom's.

At this point the linkage between Cadiente and the hacking of Local 47 is only suppositional. Should it become more than that, the analogy that I implied to Watergate becomes relevant. Still to be determined is what data was being looked for in Local 47's files, and for what reason. If that data had anything to do with AFM politics, though (and it certainly could have), we really might have our very own Watergate.