Local 11 Pays Union Exec’s Husband Inflated Salary for IT Services — Over 3x As Much As Its San Fran Counterpart

Last year, we reported that Local 11 Co-President and International Executive Vice President Susan Minato had her husband on Local 11’s payroll as a well-paid IT consultant. The union failed to disclose the apparent conflict of interest; that’s likely because Griffith is not considered a “key employee,” despite earning the same, if not more, than other high-ranking Local 11 staff.

The union’s latest financial disclosure brings more news: Not only is Minato’s husband Gregory Griffith still being paid by Local 11 — 2019 was his most lucrative year yet. Last year, the union paid him a total of $98,762. He earned $85,484 the year before. Since 2014, Griffith has earned almost a half a million dollars as an “IT consultant” for Local 11.

Is Griffith’s pay reasonable? As it turns out, another in-state Unite Here local in San Francisco has been paying an IT contractor for what appears to be similar contract work since at least 2014 — the same year Griffith started receiving payments from Local 11.

However, Local 2’s IT firm has made just over $140,000 from the union since 2014; their retainer in 2019 was just over $28,000, or roughly 70 percent less than what Griffith has pulled in over the same time period.

We wonder how Local 11’s members — who are still being asked to pay union dues despite over 90 percent of them being unemployed — would feel knowing their dues continue to fund the salary of their union leader’s husband. Despite the coronavirus shut down, Local 11 hasn’t announced any pay cuts for its leaders — or their significant others on the payroll. The union has even had the gall to discourage hotel visitors from coming to Los Angeles, despite the fact that these tourists pay their members’ wages.

Perhaps Local 11 should ask Local 2 for a referral — it could save the union thousands of dollars in members’ dues money.