Petition seeks to oust new UPW boss, board
By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer
Some United Public Workers members are seeking to block payment of as much as $750,000 for back sick leave and vacation to Gary Rodrigues, who resigned as state director Thursday after being convicted of taking kickbacks and steering fees to his daughter.
Members began circulating a petition yesterday morning asking UPW's parent organization, the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, to oust new director Dwight Takeno and the board that appointed him with Rodrigues' blessing Friday. They are also asking that the union be placed in receivership.
Cal Molina of Waimanalo, a former unit chairman in the union, said he collected more than 100 signatures on the petition at one workplace yesterday in only 20 minutes, and that he saw no problem in getting many more of the union's 13,000 members to sign.
Molina said it was his understanding from other union members that Rodrigues may claim as much as $750,000 in back sick leave and vacation.
But the union's attorney, Robert Miller, said Takeno would probably ask for an independent audit of any claims by Rodrigues, and that "no money will be distributed to Rodrigues in this calendar year, and certainly not without consultation." Miller added that Takeno was suited for the job as director, and that neither he nor the board acted improperly in his selection.
Rodrigues, 61, was found guilty by a federal jury last week 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.
In addition to being removed from his $200,000-a-year job as state director of UPW, Rodrigues, head of the union for 21 years, will almost certainly face prison time. He is scheduled to return to federal court tomorrow when a jury continues deliberation on the issue of how much money, if any, Rodrigues should forfeit as part of his punishment.
Keith Faufata, a city waste water collection system employee who is a former UPW shop steward, said "we want to remove the board" for pushing through Takeno's selection without proper authority and at a meeting he said was not properly called.
Rodrigues on Wednesday had called for the Friday meeting, but he was suspended as director on Thursday by AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. McEntee followed the suspension with another letter to union president George Yasumoto Friday reiterating that Rodrigues had no authority as a union official and that as the state's highest-ranking union official, Yasumoto could cancel the board meeting. But Yasumoto said even though he informed members that the meeting had been canceled, Rodrigues successfully convened the meeting anyway. Yasumoto said Rodrigues wanted to ensure that Takeno was picked as his replacement, instead of UPW executive assistant Dayton Nakanelua, whom Yasumoto had appointed as director.
"Gary got them upstairs and had them have an informal meeting," Faufata said. "Those actions should be nullified." Union attorney Miller said it was untrue that Rodrigues ran the meeting. He said other lawyers familiar with the constitutions of the local and international unions were in the meeting and saw no problem with the process.
The petition also seeks to revoke "all agreements" between the board and Rodrigues, to hold a new board election, and to amend the UPW constitution to require direct rank-and-file voting for all state and unit officers including director.
