Union Says Strike Ended, But Not Allowed Back to Work

The union that went on strike against the Pennsylvania Convention Center this week has apparently tried to go back to work — and found its services unused.

Philadelphia Business Journal says the Carpenters Local 8 tried to end its brief strike on Thursday night, only to find its workers weren’t welcome back.

Bob McClintock, senior vice president of convention center operator SMG, said “no one is locked out.” McClintock said he received a call at roughly 11 p.m. Thursday evening from a union official saying the carpenters were ready to end their strike that began earlier that day. But by that point, SMG made other plans to help them wrap up the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) which brought 13,000 people to the region.

“We told them we’re determining our work needs right now and that we’d be in touch,” McClintock said. “This is standard operating procedure when a union chooses to go out on strike but then says they want to come back to work.”

The two sides have been at odds over work rules that would let convention attendees build and renovate booths without requiring the use of union workers to do the job.