Union Boss Put on Leave During Probe

Wyleen Luoma, general manager of the 6,500-member County Employees Assn., and her top aide were placed on a 10-day paid leave Wednesday. The group’s executive committee is investigating charges of misconduct and abuse of authority leveled against Luoma.

The committee acted after a stormy, six-hour meeting that began at 6 p.m. Tuesday. CEA officials declined to discuss the action publicly and said a decision on Luoma’s and Kathleen Thompson’s future will be made by Jan. 20.

Internal Fighting Waged

The CEA, one of the largest independent labor groups in the state, has been torn apart by an internal rift the past two years. Last month, the union lost a major battle when almost 500 members from the health-services unit voted to have their interests represented by the Service Employees International Union, Local 102.

Health workers complained that Luoma and field representative Katy Scales failed to return phone calls and generally ignored grievances against management. The controversy continued when the workers discovered that Scales had no labor experience and is a family friend of Luoma.

Rita Martin, president of the CEA and an ally of Luoma, was also “temporarily” impeached during the raucous meeting by the group’s board of directors, said one participant who requested anonymity. Martin can be removed permanently at the next meeting if the board upholds her impeachment by a two-thirds vote.

Pleas Were Unheeded

Thompson was placed on leave because she is a loyal ally of Luoma and the subject of several charges of misconduct and lying, the participant said. Luoma and Thompson pleaded their cases Tuesday night but to no avail.

The CEA’s internal problems and the SEIU Local 102’s success at raiding some of the association’s members have encouraged other local unions to look at the possibility of recruiting some of the group’s members.