That Inflatable Rat

The inflatable "Fat Cat" has become a regular fixture at the Pennsylvania Convention Center's 12th Street entrance. The Teamsters and Carpenters at the picket line have brandished posters claiming a "lockout," that they signed an agreement with the center. But that claim leaves out one fatal detail, that they didn't agree to the new terms until after the deadline. 

"Buh-bye," said the center.

Their most recent protest, at least the unions' most prominent recent presence, was during this month's Veterans Wheelchair Games. A motorcade of large vans circled the block spouting worn rhetoric about diminished wages behind a clan of $20,000 Harley Davidsons. Others shouted from megaphones while many simply mobbed the sidewalks making it difficult for wheelchair bound veterans to enter the convention.

After the protest came to a close, a police escort led the motorcade along Race Street, through Chinatown towards the Ben Franklin Bridge, ferrying the "local" workers back to their homes in New Jersey.

Progress

The irony and hypocrisy is mind numbing. But the message and tactics behind many of the trade unions in the tristate area has become so routine that the numbed minds of many Philadelphians brush it off as white noise. 

Buildings continue to rise, businesses continue to open, many without union labor. "Crossing the picket line" has no significant meaning to a Center City swapping Baby Boomers for Generation X, even Millennials. They snap pictures of inflatable rats and the union members cheer, clueless that the photo winds up on Instagram hashtagged, "WTF?" New Philadelphians didn't forget about the union protests at MilkBoy and Goldtex, they never cared to begin with.

Given the disconnect between the local trade unions and their target audience, the inflatable rat has become a sign of progress. Both MilkBoy and Goldtex weathered the frustrations of daily protests, and both are now successful businesses. Boxers, a new sports bar opening in the Gayborhood is one of the most recent targets, specifically the Sheet Metal Worker's Union. The popular Manhattan and Brooklyn nightspot is opening its third location in Philadelphia and opted for market rate labor. Few outside the trades industries seem phased, and it hasn't impeded development.

Back in the day, City Hall turned a blind eye to some of the unions' more nefarious tactics. But increased surveillance, social media, and evolving popular opinion have put protesters in a place where they can't overstep their First Amendment rights. Even some politicians have denounced the unions' unscrupulous tactics where they manifest, or simply remain quiet on the subject if it serves their interest.

Meanwhile the media, once largely sensitive to the trade unions, hasn't shied away from stories about illegal union activity. In February, ten Ironworkers Local 401 members were arrested by the FBI and the local media aired their dirty laundry.

When your sole clique survives on whores to public opinion, never underestimate their willingness to turn in favor of that public opinion. And that is the exact problem with the trade unions' overall operation. It isn't just outdated, it sidesteps a community perplexed by their message, it refuses to engage with the developers who cut their checks, and it solely functions as a bully with friends in high places. 

Without a slick public relations representative or a fresh new image, trades unions in Philadelphia are DOA, resigned to collect the crumbs from developers that didn't get the memo, or can afford the luxury of a workspace free of an inflatable rat. A rat increasingly synonymous with a better, newer Philadelphia.

Mor Good News for the Pennsylvania Convention Center

A year ago the fate of the Pennsylvania Convention Center was uncertain. The state promised its expansion would bring more hotels, but could barely find customers to fill the rooms we already had. Although the state might never admit that their $1B investment was failing, the center had an abysmal rate of returning conventions and a notorious reputation due to its costly labor and frustrating rules. 

But things are changing for the convention center and the unions. 

Management ousted the Teamsters and Carpenters, retaining just three unions capable of doing their jobs. One union member filed a charge against Local 107, claiming he wasn't appropriately represented, signaling that support for the most stubborn unions may be beginning to unravel from within. 

The center relaxed their rules allowing vendors to use electric screwdrivers and set up larger displays on their own. 

And word is getting out.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association hasn't held a convention in Philadelphia since 2007. The group's executive director, Peter O'Neil echoed the frustration of many citing "onerous work rules and limitations on exhibitors" as the reason they've stayed away.

But thanks to the center's improvements, they're coming back in 2018, renting 16,000 hotel rooms. One convention four years from now may seem irrelevant, but the events industry is a very informed one. It's their job, and word resonates fast within their community.

The Pennsylvania Convention Center has always had a unique advantage. It's in the middle of a major city. It's connected to the Marriott at 12th and Market. It's close to restaurants, nightlife, and tourist attractions. The location is as good as it gets. That's why the few conventions that have chosen to return, continue to return. The industry loves the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It's only flaw was its employees. 

Other cities have built their convention centers in worn neighborhoods and built creature comforts around the spaces. Many are islands of new business detached from the city. In Philadelphia, that infrastructure has always been in place, it just hasn't been maximized. But soon the gloomy bridge between the Convention Center and Midtown Village will be filled with restaurants at East Market and the Gallery's facelift will provide a desirable shopping mall connected to the center. 

The new rules give our center a huge advantage over centers in DC, New York, and Baltimore that still retain the frustrating caveat of uncompromising unions. Obviously Philadelphia can't compete with better weather in Las Vegas or San Diego, but if New York moves its center to Queens, Philadelphia may soon own the Northeast's convention market.