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Gill, Rutledge Although yesterday's Labor Day festivities were meant to celebrate union unity, leaders of the hotel and restaurant workers union were sharply divided on how it should be run.
trade charges over
hotel union
Gill says Rutledge makes
By Leila Fujimori
false accusations about
the union to get control
Star-BulletinOusted leader Tony Rutledge is trying to regain control of the union by making false accusations, said Eric Gill, head of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 5. Gill attended the "Labor in Concert" event for Hawaii labor unions at the Waikiki Shell.
Gill defeated Rutledge by 43 votes in April for the top spot of financial secretary-treasurer of Local 5.
"Eric has taken the position, like others in the past, that I'm the big bad wolf and I'm the problem," Rutledge said at the Unity House Labor Day picnic for members of Local 5 and Teamsters unions. Rutledge, president of Unity House, said he has received numerous calls from members complaining about Gill.
Some Rutledge supporters on the executive board of Local 5 have gone to the international union to remove Gill, alleging racism, violation of by-laws and failure to resolve grievances and complete contracts, said Arlene Ilae, vice president of the board.
Rutledge said a union representative will arrive in mid-September to look into the matter, and he could suspend the board.
Gill is not worried, however. "The general president (of the international union) is no fool," Gill said. "He is well aware of numerous questionable things of Tony's regime and that irregularities showed in an audit."
"When the Board does stupid stuff against the bylaws, I don't comply," Gill said.
He responded to charges of racism and focusing on Filipino membership by saying that the majority of the members are immigrants, whom the union embraces.
"It's Tony that had the door locked against them," Gill said. "Now that I've opened the door, people who were in the club before feel threatened," referring to Rutledge supporters.
Gill said Rutledge is trying to split the membership to regain control of Local 5 by bringing up race.
Lena Castro, a Gill supporter, said only Filipinos support Gill at the rallies, so she would expect he would appoint them to the board.
But her worry is not having benefits and getting enough hours to work. Castro has belonged to the union for three years, and must work at several hotels because she is on call but has no benefits. She is upset that hotels hire non-union outside help rather than calling union members.
Charlotte Nahinu, a reservationist and member of Local 5 said: "Everybody thinks the union might not be a union anymore." The Rutledge supporter said that she doesn't know what's going on, but that there is so much fighting among the leadership that they are "not working to do anything for the people."
Unity House administers assets of between $70 million and $75 million for more than 20,000 active and retired members of Local 5 and Teamsters Local 996, Rutledge said.
He said Gill and Mel Kahele, Teamsters Local 996 president, "want to dissolve Unity House and split the assets between the two organizations."
Gill said the money belongs to the union members, and he wants a foundation set up to administer it, rather than have it controlled by Rutledge.
Gill also said that Unity House is set up to function as a union, competing against Local 5 for member support.