Personnel Revokes 1-Day Suspension Of Kitchen Worker

The Personnel Office last week revoked the last day of a three-day disciplinary suspension against Sherman L. Holcombe, a cook in Currier House dining hall and shop steward of all Quadrangle House dining halls.

The Personnel Office suspended Holcombe for three days without pay in January after his supervisors alleged he had harrassed them and organized employees' meeting on company time.

In February the office took two days off the suspension, returning to Holcombe the pay for those days but leaving him with one unpaid day and a disciplinary mark on his record.

Holcombe, who said Friday he was happy the suspension was revoked and his record was cleared, had threatened to take his case to an impartial labor arbitrator if the University did not take the last day off the suspension.

Mullins Revoked It

William N. Mullins, manager of employee relations, originally imposed the suspension and made the decision to revoke it.

Mullins said yesterday he revoked the suspension because the business agent and lawyer for Holcombe's union, local 186 of the Cooks and Pastry Cooks Association, "made an additional plea that Holcombe was new to his job" as shop steward.

Holcombe became a shop steward late last year, and has said the actions that brought about his suspension were part of his job as shop steward.

Frances E. Sweeney, a supervisor of Holcombe, charged that in January he had told her. "You better watch out for your job."

Mullins said union officials convinced him that "that statement should not have been construed as a threatened loss of job."

Holcombe said he thinks the University took away his suspension because it knew it would have lost if the case had gone to arbitration.