Flutterby™! : By hand, or hire a union guy 2012-10-01 16:22:39.719856+00

By hand, or hire a union guy

2012-10-01 16:22:39.719856+00 by Dan Lyke 4 comments

Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Convention Center loses a $15 million show over electric screwdrivers:

In addition to laying out some ground rules for union members’ behavior (no verbal or physical threats against the conventioneers, no selling or using illegal drugs while on the job, no “shoving,” and no weapons “of any kind”), the CSA also spells out rules and “rights” for the exhibitors. And there it is, right there in Exhibit C, Paragraph E, Subsection 1: An exhibitor “may use hand tools … but not power tools including battery operated tools, or ladders.” My attempts to ascertain whether a flashlight counts as a hand tool have been unsuccessful.

The extortionate transient tax thing, though, is everywhere. I'll never rent a car at Sea-Tac again, it's amazing how much money their local sports franchises are costing their visitors. Petaluma has been talking about upping the hotel tax, and it certainly makes me more likely to pitch a tent in the back yard or lay out sleeping mats on the living room floor...

The odd thing is that as often as not the union help was great. If you haven't seen it you can hardly imagine what chaos reigns in a convention hall 24 hours before opening, and how miraculously it all comes together when they cut the ribbon. These people do know their business. The problem is when they leverage that skill into extracting every last nickel out of the exhibitors, or use the hiring process as a way to pay off the alderman's idiot brother. This also happens at a higher level, as when the city fathers levy an extortionate tax on hotel rooms and taxi rides that are presumably used mostly by visitors.

Everyone I've ever talked to who's done a trade show in Chicago has a union extortion tale.

It's tough, because I see that the union Charlene belongs to in her work for the <elided> office of education is about the only thing standing in between that management and student safety, and yet...

I used to work at trade shows, with one big one ech year at Chicago's massive McCormick place, and the tales of the crookedness and labor racketeering were famous. Eventually many of the shows I worked moved to Vegas, not so much for the fleshpots but its much more accomodating labor stance.

I remember a show at the Chicago Hilton's basement meeting hall. It was mostly small bookstore owners and the exhibitors were small publishers. when the show was over people would begin to take their repackaged books up the escalator to the taxi lobby, only to find a Teamster gorilla to turn them back and force them to contact the shipping contractor. I realized what was comming and got my stuff out early.