I observed a “bannering” activity at 84th and I-80 of The Dugout, a sports apparel store, by the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. The banner read that there was a labor dispute with the dugout. Knowing that there was no construction activity at that location I stopped in to visit the business and inquire about why they were being ‘bannered’ by the union. The clerk in the store told me that they also have a store near Ameritrade stadium which is where the ‘trouble’ began. The owner of the building downtown that The Dugout leases their space from had hired a non-union drywall company to do work. As a result, the union began their ‘bannering’ the property owner at the downtown location. A customer stopped into The Dugout and inquired about the bannering that was going on. That customer happened to be a government employee that went and spoke to the people holding the banner. The people holding the banner were day laborers that did not speak English. INS came to investigate and took the people bannering away and deported them. The union then began ‘bannering’ The Dugout at both locations because the union thought that The Dugout had alerted the authorities.
Takeaways:
1. I have to admit, I had driven by that store many times and had never stopped, until the bannering. The clerk said that the bannering had actually helped their business because many people were stopping in to see what the activity was about outside of their store, and then purchased something. Foot traffic is very important in a retail setting and helps to stimulate the economy. Thanks unions!
2. Hiring day laborers and illegal aliens is one indicator that even the union is making an attempt to keep down labor costs. Maybe they can’t afford that expensive union labor either.
By: Jeff Boettcher, ABC Safety Director