San Francisco Labor Union Authorizes Possible Strike

By Stephanie Corbin -- Tradeshow Week, 4/2/2007

If you're mounting a tradeshow in San Francisco, you most likely know the Sign & Display Local 510. The union's members are the people who roll out the carpet, hang the signs and set up the exhibit booths and registration areas.

But by now, organizers with tradeshows at Moscone Center — or any other San Francisco venue, for that matter — could be out of luck. April 1 was the day the union's three-year contract with 53 general contractors was set to expire. Negotiations on a possible one-year contract began Feb. 20 and, as of press time, management and labor had not come to an agreement.

On March 14, union members voted to authorize a strike that could lead to a shutdown of all tradeshow activity in San Francisco for the near future.

Michael Hardeman, business representative for Local 510, said the biggest employers involved — Champion Exposition Services, Freeman and Nth Degree — had retained Littler Mendelson, a law firm he described as "not being friendly to unions."

"I found out they were there when I walked in the door Feb. 20," Hardeman added.

And, after nine negotiation attempts in which the union and employers failed to reach an agreement, the strike authorization vote was put before union members.

Ellen Beckert, corporate director of marketing and communications for Freeman, said the company hoped to negotiate a contract with Local 510 "that will be fair to the employees, the companies and the union."

Freeman is the general contractor for ad:tech San Francisco, which is scheduled to open at Moscone April 24, and two May events, American Transplant Congress and CardTech SecurTech, also at Moscone.

Detra Page, public relations manager for GES Exposition Services, said, "We hope to negotiate a contract that will be good for the union, the employers and, of course, the employees."

Representatives of Champion Exposition Services, the general service contractor for Materials Research Society, scheduled April 10 at Moscone, did not return calls for comment.

Anita Miller, manager of marketing and membership services for the Materials Research Society, said, "We are aware of the situation, and we are monitoring the situation."

When asked by Tradeshow Week about contingency strike plans, Miller declined further comment.

Paul Beckley, show director for ad:tech San Francisco, said, "As an event producer, we rely heavily on our suppliers, and the major supplier in any given event is tradeshow management. With their vested interest with hundreds of organizers, I am more than confident in the tradeshow management's ability to negotiate with the unions to a satisfactory level for both parties."

Organizers of several other shows scheduled at the Moscone Center in April and May — Web 2.0 Expo 2007, National School Boards Assn. and PCBC (Pacific Coast Builders Conference) — had no comment about the negotiations when contacted.

Julie Burford, assistant general manager for the Moscone Center, said some of the shows had been alerted to the contract negotiations by their contractors.

"Our clients have certainly been asking us about this," she added, noting that Moscone Center maintains a good relationship with the center's labor force.

"I'm hopeful the negotiations will be successful," Burford said.

Hardeman implied a strike isn't the first choice for the 1,000-member union, pointing out that there were several options despite the looming deadline. He said a deal could be struck in time, the current contract could be extended while negotiations continued or, if need be, a strike could be called.

"We left the whole decision ... in the committee's hands," he added, referring to the group of union members negotiating with the contractors.

Three years ago, when the contract in effect through April 1 was being negotiated, the union voted to continue discussions beyond the deadline.

The last work stoppage that involved Local 510 was in 1981 for three weeks when, according to Hardeman, employers locked union workers out.

"Otherwise we don't strike," he said. "That's not the way to do business."

Sticking points in the contract negotiations include wages, dispatching abilities, and health care and pension issues.

"There's a big disparity," Hardeman said of the wages Local 510 members currently receive, compared with their counter- parts in other U.S. cities like New York and Chicago.

Hardeman said he planned to ask for a substantial wage increase because of the escalating cost of living in San Francisco, increased gas prices and the contracts of other unions, such as the sheet metal workers, who do comparable work.