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This Just In

Feds Reject Labor Complaint from Philadelphia Carpenters Union

HIL ANDERSON, SENIOR EDITOR

Philadelphia, PA – The federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rejected a move by the carpenters union to reclaim their jurisdiction at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The Metropolitan Regional Council of Carpenters had alleged that the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA) had engaged in unfair bargaining in negotiations over a new customer service agreement that eased work rules at the convention center.  But the NLRB said on July 14 that the PCCA was a public entity not covered by the National Labor Relations Act. The NLRB said that the carpenters should have taken their case to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.

Despite the setback, the carpenters union noted that the NLRB had made no determination on the merits of their case. The union could not be reached for comment, but a spokesman told the Philadelphia Inquirer they would indeed file an unfair labor practices complaint with the state agency.

The carpenters and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters were among six unions that had enjoyed jurisdiction at the convention center until May. The other four unions signed the customer service pact before the May 5 deadline and picked up the work formerly performed by the ousted carpenters and Teamsters.

The carpenters, who have called their banishment an unfair lockout, said in their NLRB complaint that the imposition of a 24-hour deadline to sign the agreement was improper, and that the unions actually had until May 10 to make their final decision.

Reach Bob McClintock, COO and senior vice president – convention centers, for SMG, at (610) 729-7900 or bmcclintock@smgworld.com

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