Iron Workers make plea on behalf of Teamsters, Carpenters

Saying they would never agree to handle any Pennsylvania Convention Center work that had been performed by two ousted unions, the regional leader of the Iron Workers Local 405 urged managers of the facility to bring the Carpenters and Teamsters back into the building.

"If the goal was to have all six unions sign the [Customer Satisfaction Agreement], then we have accomplished that goal and it's time to move forward and end this labor dispute now - before any irreversible harm is done," wrote Stephen M. Sweeney in a statement.

There was no immediate response from Convention Center management. The three other unions that have signed the new agreements did not join the Iron Workers in their appeal.

Four unions crossed a picket line and went in to the Convention Center to work on Monday, the first day that the members of Teamsters Local 107 and Local 8 of the Metropolitan Regional Council of Carpenters were barred from working. Harsh words have been traded in recent days by some leaders of unions that signed the agreements and the Teamsters and Carpenters.

The Iron Workers, known in the center as the riggers, handle the heavy and complicated installation of exhibits. Compared to the other five unions that had worked at the Convention Center, the riggers have a relatively small workforce.

Four of the six unions, those representing Iron Workers, Stagehands Local 8, Electrical Workers Local 98 and Laborers Local 332, met a May 5 deadline to sign a new contract that included the Customer Satisfaction Agreement, which changed existing work rules. The agreement included a proviso that if any of the six unions failed to sign, that union's work would be divided among the other unions that signed the agreement.

The adjustments in work rules are intended to make labor issues less complicated and less expensive for groups that come to the Convention Center. The board of directors of the Convention Center and the new facility manager, SMG, of Conshohocken, demanded the changes in work rules because, they said, some conventions, especially the largest, most lucrative ones, were going to other cities.

Costs and the behavior of some of the unions were the reasons given for the Convention Center, which was expanded to attract the largest groups.

Leaders of the Carpenters and the Teamsters have said they believed they had until May 10 to sign. That is when extensions to their collective bargaining agreements expired.

The Teamsters and Carpenters signed the agreements on May 10.

Sweeney, a Democrat, is president of the New Jersey Senate and represents parts of Gloucester and Cumberland Counties and all of Salem county.

Source: Philly.com