Questions raised
on complaint
involving UPW’s
Rodrigues

A petition asks about a
complaint filed by his former
administrative assistant

By Ian Lind
Star-Bulletin

Two women who had personal relationships with United Public Workers state director Gary Rodrigues were the union's highest-paid women and among the seven highest-paid employees in 1997.

The two women -- Rodrigues' secretary and his former secretary turned administrative assistant -- were paid more than three of UPW's four island directors, the union's top accountant and all 10 of its business agents, according to the union's annual report on file with the U.S. Department of Labor.

Georgietta Carroll, Rodrigues' personal secretary until mid-1993 and then administrative assistant, made a base salary of $65,095 in 1997. She resigned from the union this June after filing a sexual harassment complaint against

Rodrigues. She had a longstanding personal relationship with Rodrigues that included their joint purchase of a house in Oregon.

Tani Olaso, who replaced Carroll as Rodrigues' secretary in 1993 and whose personal relationship with the union leader was later cited in her divorce, was paid $53,917 in 1997.

A petition being circulated by unidentified UPW members demands to know whether the dues of UPW members will be used to pay a settlement of Carroll's sexual harassment complaint.

The petition asks the UPW state executive board if it is true that Carroll will receive an amount equal to three years' salary, which with benefits is estimated at $200,000 to $300,000, from the union treasury.

The petition says the payment, if true, would be "a major misuse of our dues," and asks the union executive board to explain whether Rodrigues will be disciplined "for his costly misconduct."

Rodrigues, reached in Oregon by telephone, refused to comment on the petition, Carroll's complaint or his relationship with the two women.

"You print what you want, and hire some good lawyers. I'm just telling you that," Rodrigues said. "I have four people here who are hearing me tell you that, so you are on notice.

"That's all I'm telling you, goodbye," Rodrigues said, then hung up.

As leader of the state's second-largest public employee union, Rodrigues is one of Hawaii's most powerful labor leaders.

UPW attorney Herb Takahashi and Honolulu attorney David Simons, who represents Carroll, did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.

Olaso could not be reached for comment. The receptionist at UPW headquarters said she had been instructed not to take any calls from the Star-Bulletin.

Lee Wise, a UPW board member, said the board is aware of Carroll's complaint, but has not been informed of any settlement. He said the complaint may stem from Carroll's anger over the end of her relationship with Rodrigues. "I suppose you would be pretty mad if you've lived with somebody for years and they just terminated it all one time," Wise said.

"As far as the board is concerned, we would have to approve any settlement. If we're not told anything, then there can't be a settlement. It has to come through the board," Wise said.

Federal law provides that union officers occupy positions of trust and are required to use the union's money and property "solely for the benefit of the organization and its members," and to avoid any financial or personal interests that conflict with the interests of the organization.

A U.S. Labor Department representative in Hawaii said the hiring of friends or relatives is common in local labor unions and would not in itself violate legal standards, even at high salaries. But the representative said a key question would be whether work is being performed to warrant the high salary.

Carroll publicly revealed her sexual harassment complaint during testimony before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board in February. Carroll, who was subpoenaed by the union in a hearing on an unrelated matter, testified that she filed charges against Rodrigues that month and complained that she had been subjected to retaliation and intimidation. She did not reveal details of the complaint. Terms of a settlement, if any, have not been disclosed.

Carroll told the Star-Bulletin earlier this year that she and Rodrigues shared a personal relationship for more than a decade. She said the couple lived together in Kaimuki and purchased property in Oregon where they built a home once intended as their retirement haven.

Land records from Deschutes County, Ore., confirm that Rodrigues and Carroll were joint owners of 40.5 acres of land located near the city of Bend. The property is adjacent to 193 acres purchased by the UPW from Crown Pacific Ltd. in 1987, according to the county tax department.

Rodrigues and Carroll obtained building permits in 1987 and built a large log house at the end of a paved 1/4-mile driveway, according to the county records. The 2,400-square-foot, three-bedroom home overlooking a 200-foot trout pond had an estimated market value of $233,885 for the 1997 tax year, while the land was appraised at $169,000, the records show.

The property was jointly held until January 1993, when it was transferred to Rodrigues' sole ownership by warranty deed, the records show.

Several months later, in July 1993, Olaso was named to replace Carroll as Rodrigues' secretary and Carroll became administrative assistant, union records show.

Olaso was originally hired as a receptionist at UPW headquarters in 1991 at $21,000 a year, and rose to become Rodrigues' secretary and one of the union's highest paid employees in just two years.

Each of Olaso's promotions was personally authorized by Rodrigues, according to copies of the personnel action forms included in her divorce records. Rodrigues, as state director, was the only person to sign the form authorizing her promotion to secretary, although general pay increases have notations indicating approval by the executive board.

Olaso had no secretarial experience when she was selected for the promotion, according to a detailed employment history she prepared in 1996. Her prior work experience included stints as a receptionist and library assistant in a downtown law firm in the mid-1980s, a library assistant at Kamehameha Schools, telemarketing sales manager for a fitness center and six months as lead passenger service agent for Discovery Airways before the company folded in 1990.

Carroll has said that Rodrigues wasn't responsible for her hiring at UPW and that she had substantial prior work experience and secretarial training.

Deron Akiona, Olaso's former husband, said he found evidence that Olaso and Rodrigues were having an affair several months after her promotion and that both admitted the relationship when confronted. That relationship became a major factor in their subsequent divorce, Akiona said.

On June 9, 1993, Olaso received more than $6,000 in personal loans from Rodrigues, according to court records. The loans were dated one day after Rodrigues authorized Olaso's promotion to secretary along with a 50 percent salary increase to $3,334 a month, the records show.

The loans came in the form of First Hawaiian Bank cashier's checks payable to several of Olaso's creditors, including three credit card companies, court records show. She eventually reported receiving about $18,000 in loans from Rodrigues during the next three years, and repaying a minimum of $200 a month by August 1996, the records show.

The divorce records include a police report of an October 1994 incident when police were called after Carroll confronted Olaso in the parking lot of a Makiki condominium.

Carroll told police she was aware of Olaso "fooling around with her boyfriend," and waited to confront them. Carroll allegedly swore at Olaso and tried to block her from going back into the building, according to comments recorded at the scene.

Akiona said his personal conflicts with Rodrigues did not interfere with his work as executive director of the Haku Alliance, the pro-business lobbying coalition that led the successful move for workers compensation reform in direct opposition to Rodrigues. Akiona said there were some uncomfortable moments because the union leader's role in his family problems was known to legislative insiders, but that their clash never became personal.

"I respect Gary as a labor leader who fights for his members," Akiona said.