When a federal court jury found United Public Workers director Gary Rodrigues and his daughter guilty last week on charges of theft, embezzlement, defrauding a union benefit plan and money laundering, you could almost hear opponents of organized labor chortling with glee.
     A likely prison sentence for Rodrigues, until recently considered perhaps the most powerful labor leader and one of the most politically influential people in the state, clearly deals a blow to laborπs clout in the corridors of power.
     And while other labor leaders are trying their best to distance themselves from Rodriguesπ misfortunes, they do have much to answer for. In a real sense, Rodrigues was emboldened by the long-term failure of others to hold him accountable.
     Most of the crimes described by prosecutors during the trial took place while Rodrigues was head of the State Federation of Labor, a position he held from 1985 to 1997.
     During that time, how many leaders of other labor unions were aware of Rodriguesπ wheeling and dealing with companies that did business with the UPW? How many looked the other way in the name of labor unity while Rodrigues picked the pockets of his unionπs members?
     When Rodrigues hosted other union heads at his home in Oregon, did his guests question why the UPW had purchased 193 acres next door, thousands of miles from the nearest UPW member?
     Based on evidence presented in Rodriguesπ trial, the public also has reason to wonder how common self-dealing is in the recesses of the labor movement, where outside scrutiny rarely exists. It was apparently relatively simple for Rodrigues to negotiate union contracts with insurers that involved putting his daughterπs companies in the path of lucrative consulting contracts. Rodriguesπ defense attorney argued similar arrangements are common in the union world.
     Although not all similar contracts would violate federal labor law, they certainly represent conflicts of interest serious enough to be scrupulously avoided by a labor movement trying to restore its tarnished public image. Can we expect other unions to open their books, at least to their own members, regarding such arrangements?
     Rodriguesπ conviction and these lingering questions complicate the labor movementπs necessary attempts to recover from this yearπs defeat at the polls. Itπs going to take more than routine public assurances to convince union members — and the broader community — that labor is back on the right track.
     —Ian Lind

Defending the duopoly

     Increasing concentration of media ownership in fewer and fewer corporate hands is the wave of the future, television executive Rick Blangiardi told members of the Honolulu Community-Media Council last week. He called federal rules slowing the tide of media monopoly "archaic" and said federal regulators should step aside and let the process continue.
     Blangiardi is general manager of television stations KHON and KGMB. Both stations are owned by Emmis Communications Corp., and currently operate under a "temporary" waiver, granted by the Federal Communications Commission, of rules barring so-called "duopoly," the ownership of more than one station ranked among the top four in any market. KHON is currently the top-rated television station in Hawaiåi, while KGMB is No. 4.
     The FCC is reconsidering its duopoly restrictions, and the Media Council, along with the Society of Professional Journalists (Hawaiåi Professional Chapter), went on record earlier this year supporting the continued ban.
     However, Blangiardi said he hopes Emmis retains ownership of both stations, despite public concerns about media monopoly.
     "If you owned both Coke and Pepsi, would you sell one of them?" he asked.
     Blangiardi said Emmisπ dual ownership "gives us some leverage" to rebuild television news after a crippling two decades of no growth in annual broadcast revenues, which have been stagnant at about $55 million since 1982.
     "Television news has radically declined in this town," he said.
     "Everybody has suffered. The people who work there [at the stations], and the people of the state who we serve."
     Emmis is looking at ways to save money by consolidating some jobs at KHON and KGMB. For example, the stations are now sharing some news video, although they might use it differently.
     "The consumer is going to get two very distinct news products," he said.
     Blangiardi said he has been evaluating each station and "getting our own house in order.
     "Iπm trying to give them (station employees) some resources, make them understand the responsibility they have in doing television news, and challenging them to improve. The ones that canπt deal with it, weπll say goodbye to."
     —I.L.