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Phila. Carpenters Union Leader Out, Locals To Merge Into NJ Based Regional Council

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In a big shakeup, the leader who ran the Philadelphia carpenters' union for decades is no longer in charge. All of the locals who were under Ed Coryell have been merged into an Edison, New Jersey based regional council. Leaders of the restructured organization say it will help "streamline work rules, and expand market opportunities."

Paper notices taped to the glass doors in front of the Carpenters Regional Council building at 18th and Spring Garden Streets serve notice that each local based in the union hall is disbanded and being restructured.

Ed Coryell is now the former Executive-Secretary Treasurer of the Metropolitan Regional Council, the umbrella organization for the carpenters' local unions. He no longer has an official position.

The national United Brotherhood of Carpenters decided to consolidate local affiliates in five states into the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, with 40,000 members. That includes about 13,500 members that were previously led by Coryell.

His Local 8 was the Philly-based union that initially refused to sign a new customer service agreement with the Pennsylvania Convention Center in 2014, and as a result, the local was bounced out of the facility. It led to two years' of protests, grievances and lawsuits.

Four other unions that also were already working at the Pennsylvania Convention Center did sign a 10-year contract. They said they did so to compete for large exhibitions, which were passing on Philadelphia, in favor of other cities. One of the stipulations -  removing strict rules that prevented exhibitors from working on and putting up their own booths.

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