President Bailey Speaks

 

From: "Bailey, Rich" <Rich.Bailey@YMCA.NET>
To: [YMCA Squash Email List]
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2000 4:21 PM
Subject: Re: Issues raised by Mr. Wittenberg

I met with Mr Wittenberg and Mr. O'Brien today, to advise them of the results of the review, by the Committee re: the issues raised by Mr.Wittenberg. Lesley Davidson was in attendance. In addition to reviewing the report I thanked both individuals for their input resulting in the recommendations made. I think these recommendations will enhance court usage.

Please see the following report. I will take actions regarding each recommendation.

Thank you for your interest.

Richard Bailey
President/CEO
YMCA of Greater Toronto

P.S. The Advisory Committee of the Metro-Central YMCA and the Board of Directors will also receive this communication.

Report to Rich Bailey re: issues raised by Mr. Uriel Wittenberg

Committee Members:

  • Daniel Mark, Committee Chair and Volunteer Chair, Metro Central Regional Advisory Council
  • Marlene Etherington, Volunteer Member, Board of Directors
  • Sandy McIntyre, Volunteer Member, Board of Directors
  • Linda Cottes, staff to the Committee

Mandate
The Committee was struck at the request of Richard Bailey, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toronto to investigate the complaint of Uriel Wittenberg in the matter of the number of squash courts at Metro-Central YMCA, and his concerns about the conduct of Lesley Davidson and Greg Miller regarding his complaint. Mr. Bailey struck this Committee as the complaint involved a General Manager/ Vice President.

Process
The committee met with both Ms. Davidson and Mr. Miller, and on two occasions with Mr. Wittenberg along with three other interested parties: Sean O'Brien, Ed Dewar and Peter Higginson.

It would appear from discussions with Messrs. Wittenberg, O'Brien and Higginson, and supported by the petitions presented and the e-mail documentation that Mr. Wittenberg has the support of a number of squash players in the matter of the number of squash courts. The degree of support that Uriel has for his position on the mismanagement issue is unclear.

Based on the information gleaned from those discussions along with the numerous e-mails exchanged by the concerned parties and the web-site documentation created by Mr. Wittenberg, the Committee has made the following observations and developed the recommendations listed below.

Issue 1
With regard to the complaint concerning the availability of Squash Courts to participants, Management has recently returned one squash court to its original use and refurbished all four. In addition, a staff person will be assigned to provide leadership to the squash program. A volunteer group has been created to assist with lessons and ladder management.

Responsibility for Resources lies with Management
It is the Committee's view that the responsibility for YMCA resources lies with Management. Their task is to balance the needs of a very large number of participants and allocate the resources available to them among those participants. Participant opinion and usage are but two factors that would influence that decision-making process, but not determine it. It is also our view that participants may input to such programming and space allocation decisions but staff must make them. Some of these decisions may be unpopular. The suggestion made by Mr. Wittenberg, based on his interpretation of the usage data, that the Cyclefit class be moved to a racquetball court would be as unfair to those participants playing handball and racquetball as he has stated the disputed decisions were to squash players.

Given the current situation of allocation of racquet sport space to racquetball, handball, squash and Cyclefit, the Committee feels that Management has acted responsibly to make a space allocation decision that is based on sound principles of resource management.

Participant Access and Availability
Mr. Wittenberg also expressed the desire to have greater and more flexible access to courts during prime time. He also feels that further work could be done to increase interest in the sport. However, the Committee feels that spontaneous and extended access to courts during prime time is not a realistic expectation, and is supported by both the YMCA's experience and anecdotally, that of similar service providers. The Committee also makes the following recommendations that could further alleviate some of the current concerns:

Recommendation A: that continued monitoring of court usage be taken both to facilitate the availability of all court space to all interested participants, both new and current, and as part of the space management process.

Recommendation B: that a review of court booking procedures be taken to ensure these are communicated, understood and followed.

Recommendation C: that staff develop protocols, rules and etiquette relating to all racquet sports (including handball). Consultation with volunteers and other similar service partners would assist in this process.

Recommendation D: that a communications program be developed to encourage participants to make more use of the courts in non-prime time.

Communication
With regard to the complaint about space allocation and the decision making process (i.e. relating to, the conduct of Lesley Davidson and Greg Miller), several issues have been raised concerning communication between participants and staff.

1. It has been suggested that the dispute resolution process is not well communicated, and that it does not provide direction on disputes that might involve a General Manager or Vice President.

Recommendation E: that the process be revised to provide direction on the latter type of dispute, and that the process be communicated and made more accessible to participants, for example on the YMCA of Greater Toronto web-site.

2. It is apparent that decisions regarding the use of space in YMCA facilities can raise legitimate concerns about participant input and management's understanding of their' wishes. Petitions are often seen to be the most effective way of influencing the decision-maker. Participants must have a basic understanding of the YMCA governance model so that they may properly understand what effect their input can have on management decisions.

Recommendation F: that a communication piece be developed which succinctly explains YMCA governance and the role of voting members and participants.

Recommendation G: that feedback be solicited from participants about proposed changes, that the decision be posted and that a single point of contact be assigned to address any questions or concerns.

Recommendation H: that the single point of contact be trained in conflict management in order to ensure that communication be productive, and suitable to the situation, and the needs and style of the participants

 
Issue 2
Further to the complaint about the conduct of Ms. Davidson and Mr. Miller, the Committee has interviewed both of these individuals, and Mr. Wittenberg specifically but not solely about incidents Mr. Wittenberg identified as indicative of the mismanagement, deceit and misuse of resources. These are serious allegations that have been considered. However, upon review of the information gathered in these interviews, the Committee finds these allegations to be spurious and without merit.

Mr. Wittenberg has made very organized and passionate arguments to support his complaint. However, the Committee has found that he has taken a very narrow, almost mathematical view of the issues: i.e. usage and participant opinion should drive allocation of court space, and more importantly his perceived lack of adequate responses by management equals deceit and corruption. Somehow, he has taken an unpopular management decision to a conclusion that the entire management of the facility is corrupt and resources are being squandered.

In addition, the Committee has found the language in his communications to often be very harsh and unnecessarily inflammatory. The Committee found some of the tactics towards both participants and staff to be bullying and aggressive. This style is not in keeping with the etiquette standards that the YMCA requires every participant and staff member to adhere to. In addition, the very public display of his allegations prior to any review by this Committee has caused serious concern to the involved YMCA staff. Although the Committee feels that its mandate does not include addressing the issue of Mr. Wittenberg's behaviour throughout the process, its members recommend that YMCA Management take steps to address the concerns raised in this matter by both staff and participants.

Finally, concern has been raised about the use of petitions, electronic messaging and the Internet to communicate concerns of participants to staff. The Committee also feels this is outside its particular mandate, but suggests the following:

Recommendation I: that a recommended practice be developed to provide guidance to staff in the handling of petitions

Recommendation J: that a recommended practice be developed to determine the most effective and timely response process to all communications from participants.

Regards,

The Dispute Resolution Committee Regarding Mr. Wittenberg's complaints.

handar5.gif (967 bytes) Uriel’s Response Toronto YMCA Mismanagement: Escalation