Posted on: Wednesday, December 4, 2002

Parent union to determine control of UPW

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

A delegation from the international headquarters of the United Public Workers parent organization is en route to Hawai'i to meet with UPW board members and decide whether the Hawai'i unit should be placed in receivership.

A high-ranking officer and a lawyer from the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, the UPW's parent union, are expected to arrive today from Washington at the request of union members who are contesting the UPW board's leadership, said union member Keith Faufata.

"We're suggesting that they remove Dwight Takeno as state director and that they remove all of the members of the executive board," Faufata said. "We want fair elections of new officers by the rank and file."

Faufata is one of the leaders of a petition drive asking ASFCME to place the UPW in receivership. The group wants ASFCME to temporarily take over operation of the local until elections can be held, and contends that UPW leadership remains under the influence of former union leader Gary Rodrigues, who has been convicted of federal fraud, money-laundering and embezzlement charges and is awaiting sentencing.

UPW attorney Robert Miller said the actions by those who have raised questions were unnecessary.

"There is no basis to remove these board members," Miller said last night. "They have been very diligent in fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities to the union members. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that any executive board member or officer has done anything improper or violated any union bylaws.

"The government investigated the union for three years and subpoenaed thousands of documents," he said. "And they did not find one misappropriation of checks or union funds or dues or member fees."

In a press conference yesterday, Faufata and several other leaders of the petition group announced that more than 500 UPW members had signed the petition in the past few days, and that more signatures were expected.

"Our members really want our union back," said Chester Pahia, one of the group members.

The group was formed and launched the drive shortly after former UPW executive director Gary Rodrigues was convicted in federal court of 100 felony counts including mail fraud, money laundering and embezzlement. He was convicted of taking kickbacks from companies that did business with the union, as well as steering consulting fees to his daughter, Robin Rodrigues Sabatini, for work she didn't perform. Rodrigues, 61, ran the union for 21 years.

AFSCME president Gerald McEntee suspended Rodrigues on Nov. 21, two days after a federal jury handed down the convictions, and informed union president George Yasumoto that Rodrigues had no authority as a union official.

But Rodrigues had already called a meeting of the UPW executive board for the morning of Nov. 22. The board met over Yasumoto's objections, and elected Takeno to take over for Rodrigues instead of the man Yasumoto had recommended, UPW executive assistant Dayton Nakanelua.

The petition group contends the meeting was improperly held and that the board is still acting on behalf of Rodrigues.

Takeno contested those allegations in a letter to the UPW membership on Nov. 26.