Quiet First Morning Of Picketing For Two Unions At Pa. Convention Center
By Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was noisy and, at times, nasty as laborers, electrical workers, and stagehands walked into the heavily guarded employees-only entrance of the Pennsylvania Convention Center this morning, led by their union representatives. Members of Teamsters' Local 107 –- one of the two unions locked out -– shouted at their union brothers for crossing their picket line.
The teamsters and Carpenters' Union Local 8 are locked out for failing to meet the convention center management's deadline to sign new work rules (see previous story).
IBEW president John Dougherty marched a group of electricians and stagehands into the labor entrance at the convention center along 11th Street, near Race Street. The electrical workers and three other unions signed on to work rule changes (see related story) before the management-imposed deadline.
The carpenters and teamsters claim they turned in a signed copy of the deal last week as their contract extension was about to expire. Management, however, said that failed to meet their deadline of last Monday and that the other unions would pick up the work formerly done by the two unions.
