San Francisco, CA – The threat of a strike by the Sign, Display and Allied Crafts Union Local 510 in the Bay area was averted when the current contract was extended until May 1.
Five Bay Area Labor Councils had granted strike sanction to permit picketing which could have impacted the Moscone Center, Oakland Convention Center, San Jose McEnery Convention Center, Santa Clara Convention Center, San Mateo County Event Center and others. The law firm of Littler Mendelson is representing contractors including Freeman, Champion Nationwide Contractor, Nth Degree and others. GES Exposition Services was represented by its own counsel.
Discussions about a new pact remained knotted over pay. The two sides have met more than 10 times since talks began February 20th.
“Our members want the shows to go on, but we can’t abide a race to the bottom,” said Local 510 Business Representative Mike Hardeman. Detra Page, public relations manager and official spokesperson for GES, told Trade Show Executive, “We are pleased that the contract negotiations were extended and we will continue to negotiate for the best contract that benefits all parties.”
A work stoppage could have impacted CMP’s Embedded Systems Conference which is running this week at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center and expected to draw 8,000 delegates as well as the National School Boards Association Annual Conference, coming up April 14-17 at the Moscone Center, expected to draw 17,000.
Reach Mike Hardeman at (415) 468-7280 or meh510@sbcglobal.net; Jonathan Skonberg of Littler Mendelson at (415) 399-8490 or jskonberg@littler.com; Detra Page at (702) 263-2755 or dpage@ges.com.
