Hawaii nurses protest meeting snub

http://starbulletin.com/2003/10/24/business/story3.html

Hawaii nurses

protest meeting snub

Star-Bulletin staff

Members of the Hawaii Nurses Association protested yesterday morning upon being excluded from that organization's annual meeting at the Blaisdell Center.

A long-standing dispute between the HNA and the local nurses' bargaining unit over the management of union dues boiled over last month into a lawsuit.

The collective bargaining unit, which filed the suit, charges that interference by the HNA board of directors in the fiscal and decision making autonomy of the union is a violation of federal labor law.

It also challenges HNA's assertion that the union is a subordinate entity, thereby entitling HNA to manage the union's money.

The HNA asserts the bargaining unit is not an autonomous organization.

The court has appointed a special master to collect dues and handle the organizations' bills until the case is resolved.

The nurses' bargaining unit had its annual meeting later in the day.