Hawaii theatrical
union ousts biz agentWong is voted out after
complaints of strong-arm tactics
Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 665 voted Sunday to oust the union's business agent, Scott Wong.
Of the 119 votes cast, 93 were in favor of the move. Members also voted overwhelmingly to expel Wong from the union.
Wong had been the subject of numerous complaints for alleged strong-arm tactics. Mainland representatives of the union arrived in Hawaii last week to investigate the complaints.
Wong appeared before the union membership Sunday to answer charges filed against him by Local 655 President Archie Ahuna.
According to Ahuna, Wong declined to present a defense on the charges and left the meeting.
Ahuna said that the union's executive board would have normally dealt with such complaints, but Wong had asked for a trial by membership.
Wong earlier had been suspended without pay for 30 days pending a union grievance trial. He received notice of his suspension on Oct 10.
Wong, who was elected to the position business agent in December 2001, said last week that the grievance stems from a conversation he had with Ahuna about two weeks earlier in which he questioned the union president's job performance.
Wong, who did not return phone calls yesterday about the vote, now has the right to appeal the decision, Ahuna said.
"He's got a right to appeal to the International, so for that reason I cannot have any comment until that happens," Ahuna said.
Appointing a new business agent would require another vote, Ahuna said.
There are more than 350 members of IATSE in Hawaii. They work as stage hands, motion picture technicians and in other specialty positions for television shows and movies shot in Hawaii.
Most recently, IATSE members worked for the Fox TV show "American Idol, NBC's "Average Joe," and an infomercial starring David Hasselhoff.
