ISLAND VOICES
Local 5 may face tough times
By Anthony A. Rutledge
Members of Local 5 (hotel and restaurant workers) are facing some very tough times ahead under their union's current administration, headed by Eric Gill. His reckless behavior and lack of negotiating experience may be hurting both the members and the visitor industry they work for.
Gill has probably jeopardized the job security of 4,500 hotel members by arbitrarily canceling their union contracts with the Sheraton hotels and the Hilton Hawaiian Village. He took this action without the approval of the union's executive board or affected members, which is a contradiction of his publicly stated beliefs in union democracy.
His civil disobedience antics, such as blocking hotel driveways and getting arrested, indicate how irresponsible he is. Seasoned, professional negotiators bargain at the table — not on the streets.
Gill's antics have most likely damaged Local 5's formerly good relations with the employers, making it more difficult for both sides to reach a contract settlement peacefully. He further antagonized the hotels by scheduling a strike vote before receiving management's best and final offer.
By setting the vote at this time, Gill is calling his hand of cards rather than the employers', as it should be.
Union negotiations are like a high-stakes game of poker, and Gill is playing the game all wrong.
The strike vote is definitely bad news for Local 5 members and the hotel industry, which is still recovering from the aftermath of Sept. 11. The vote shouts, "Don't come to Hawai'i" to the millions of potential visitors worldwide, who are already reluctant to fly because they fear another terrorist attack.
Many Local 5 members — including union President Orlando Soriano — have complained to me that Gill does not seem to know what he is doing at the bargaining table. Many members have asked me to end my more than yearlong silence and speak out on their behalf.
My father, the late Arthur A. Rutledge, always used to remind me: "Any damn fool can take people out on strike, but it takes someone who knows what they're doing to bring them back to work without suffering losses."
In my best informed opinion, which is based on more than 30 years of collective bargaining experience in Hawai'i, I say Gill has made yet another major mistake by scheduling the strike vote — especially while knowing the members are confused.
This is not the time to strike or threaten to strike employers in the visitor industry because of the current terrorist situation and the other reasons I mentioned above.
As long as Gill persists with his antics and inappropriate tactics, Local 5 members will continue to face tougher times ahead. I strongly believe the International Union needs to put the Local 5 back into trusteeship and finish what it should have done before prematurely conducting officer elections last July 6, which is to settle the union's open contracts ... some of which have been expired for up to two years.
Unity House Inc. will support whatever the members decide. I wholeheartedly recommend that Local 5 cancel its strike vote immediately and return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair, decent hotel contract before this dispute escalates to the point where everyone gets hurt in the long run.
Anthony A. Rutledge is president of Unity House Inc. He was former chief negotiator/financial secretary-treasurer of HERE Local 5, AFL-CIO and retired HERE International Union vice president, District 12.
