Philly’s Strike Is Over But World Cafe Live’s Labor Problems Persist

The Philadelphia DC33 city strike may be over, but World Cafe Live CEO Joseph Callahan continues to face major labor issues at the West Philadelphia venue. (Image courtesy 6ABC)

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Philadelphia’s City Strike Is Over But World Cafe Live’s Labor Problems Persist

All I’ve been thinking about for the last week – well, other than Live Aid – is trash. Piles and piles of trash. But with a new day comes news that Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has reached a tentative agreement with the DC33 union, and we can expect trash pickup and other city services covered by that union to resume shortly. So I am now turning my attention back to World Cafe Live.

You may remember a bit of mayhem breaking out at World Cafe Live in June after staff members staged a walkout to protest working conditions under new World Cafe Live CEO Joseph Callahan, aka the guy who brought the Portal to Philadelphia. Things spiraled out of control after Callahan took a bizarrely hardline approach against the workers, whom he fired, saying he was filing complaints against them with the office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania and the Department of Justice. If the AG or DOJ find any credence to his claims and if they want to play ball, these former employees could face serious criminal charges, such as conspiracy to interfere with commerce under the Hobbs Act and theft and destruction of proprietary and contractual records.

Callahan’s response resulted in a major crisis PR moment for World Cafe Live, a once-beloved venue in the Philadelphia music scene. There was a fierce backlash against Callahan and World Cafe Live on social media. Bands pulled out left and right from their gigs there, staging an all-out boycott. Customers demanded ticket refunds. World Cafe Live’s social media managers reportedly blocked bands and former fans and employees who dared to criticize the venue amid the meltdown. It was a bad look for World Cafe Live. A really bad look.

So that was nearly a month ago. Where are we now? Well, this week should prove to be quite interesting. On Thursday at 5 p.m., Callahan and his board of directors are hosting a town hall that will be both in-person and virtual, and it’s open to current employees, former employees, the media, customers, union representatives – pretty much anyone. (They’re asking interested parties to register in advance, which you can do here.)

Then on Friday, World Cafe Live hosts WXPN’s Free at Noon concert series with a performance from the Tisburys, a local rock band of note. While World Cafe Live has been presenting some shows during the tumult, virtually all of those shows have been from out-of-town bands who don’t know World Cafe Live from the Wells Fargo Center and who would have no reason to even know about the controversy. So it stood out that the Tisburys show was moving forward. They hadn’t cancelled. But then earlier this week came the following announcement on the Tisburys Instagram page:

We spoke with our friends at @SaveWorldCafeLive and decided to keep our scheduled WXPN Free at Noon performance, held at World Cafe Live on 7/11. We are using this opportunity to speak freely (read: in opposition) of the new CEO & leadership in a public manner, at their own establishment.

We encourage any attendees to tip the bartenders (without buying a drink!) and donate at the QR code on the next slide to financially support the wrongfully terminated employees. Let’s work together to maintain the local, LIVE music community in Philadelphia, with fair wages and treatment for all. GO BIRDS.

They also noted that they are playing “at a venue that currently has us blocked” on Instagram.

Meanwhile, local promoter Dave Kiss, who had several shows scheduled at World Cafe Live, has launched a new concert series called “Teleported: A Concert Series for Philadelphia Venue Workers,” in which he is taking those shows and presenting them at other venues. Dan DeLuca over at the Inquirer has more on that.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one as it continues to ferment.

Remembering Live Aid

As we continue to celebrate Live Aid Week on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the historic event, I decided to see if the most anticipated performance of the Philly edition (the Led Zeppelin reunion) was a success or a failure. And I have to say, I agree with Phil Collins on this one.

What Ever Happened to that Big I-95 Capping/Park Project?

It’s actually starting to take shape!

By the Numbers

9 percent: Wage increase for DC33 workers over the next three years, as part of the new agreement between the union and the city. The union originally demanded 24 percent over three years.

0: Level of surprise I had when I learned that a guy previously convicted of secretly recording college students in a bathroom and then posting those videos online is in trouble again with the law. This time, the Philly gent is accused of stealing nude photos from five victims’ cell phones and then posting the photos online.

2nd: Ranking of the Phillies in the NL East, down from their 1st place spot. As Philly Mag sports expert Sandy Hingston explains Tuesday night’s loss to me: “Phillies lost in epic fashion – on a ninth-inning walk-off inside-the-park home run off Jordan Romano by Patrick Bailey. I believe it’s only the second time that’s happened – first was on July 25, 1956, by Roberto Clemente.”

Local Talent

A wild array of Philly performers – from drag queens Martha Graham Cracker and Brittany Lynn to gospel singer (and former Patti LaBelle bandmate) Paula Holloway to memorable America’s Got Talent contestant Johnny Showcase to rapper Reef the Lost Cauze to, well, yours truly – will combine forces this Sunday at Union Transfer for a 40th anniversary tribute concert to Live Aid. We’ll perform a selection of songs that were performed at Live Aid. 100% of ticket proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. WHYY has more on this big party here.