Teacher Who Sued to Block Union Election Wins Presidency
Corey Rosenlee will head the Hawaii State Teachers Association starting next month, after garnering the most votes in a June 2 election.
Campbell High School teacher Corey Rosenlee will take the helm of the Hawaii State Teachers Association on July 8, after garnering the most votes in last week鈥檚 controversial union election.
Rosenlee and his running mates, Justin Hughey and Amy Perruso, won all three top union leadership positions, according to a union聽announcement Tuesday afternoon. The three teachers had run on a promise to change the way HSTA operates.
The announcement came a week after teachers cast their votes for leadership for a third time this year, and nearly two weeks after Rosenlee took the union to court in an effort to block the revote.
The election, which pitted teachers known for making waves against senior union leadership,聽has been one of the most contentious聽in the union’s 44-year聽history.
Amy Perruso, Corey Rosenlee and Justin Hughey explain their legal challenge to the June 2聽election at a press conference in May.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
HSTA leadership delayed certifying the results of the first election, held by mail and electronic ballot over two weeks in April, after none of the three聽candidates for vice president garnered a majority of the votes.
Rosenlee ran against current union Vice President Joan Lewis in the April election. Perruso鈥檚 opponent for聽secretary-treasurer, Osa Tui Jr., campaigned along with Lewis and vice presidential candidate (and current secretary-treasurer) Colleen Pasco. A third candidate for vice president, Paul Daugherty, ran independently.
After a runoff election in May, the HSTA Board of Directors voted to throw out the results from both elections because of voting 鈥渋rregularities.鈥
Rosenlee, Hughey and Perruso said they had rightfully won the election, and that it was inproper for the board not to certify the election after already receiving the results.
Rosenlee had filed for a temporary restraining order in an effort to halt the new election late last month.
According to court documents filed by Rosenlee, the union鈥檚 Board of Directors violated union bylaws when it voted 21-8 in May聽to toss out election results.
The court declined聽Rosenlee’s petition for a temporary restraining order because of concerns over jurisdiction, but the complaint filed by Rosenlee is still active.
