Rodrigues won’t
seek AFL-CIO
re-election

He wants to focus on the UPW
and the privatization issue

By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

United Public Workers director Gary Rodrigues announced today that he will not continue as president of the State Federation of AFL-CIO unions.

The controversial labor leader has worn both hats in lobbying the Legislature since the early 1980s. Rodrigues told the State Federation Executive Board this morning that he will not seek re-election at the October convention.

The State Federation has 53 public-employee and private-industry unions as affiliate members. They represent 79,000 of the state's unionized workers.

Rodrigues said after the meeting that the furor earlier this year about his appointment to the Judicial Selection Commission had played no part in his decision to step down as top spokesman for all organized labor in the state.

"I need to concentrate more on my local. The major problem of privatization (contracting out jobs formerly held by government workers) will be a major battle in the 1998 legislative session."

The public employees union opposed privatization in the last session and has fought neighbor island county governments in the courts over outside contracts.

Rodrigues, 55, has been director of the United Public Workers since 1981. He was elected president of the State Federation in 1985 and has been re-elected at biannual conventions ever since.

Rodrigues said a potential challenge was "not an issue.""I had the votes, but I don't need to hang on."