Surprise Development In The Carpenters' Dispute With The Pennsylvania Convention Center
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia's carpenters union will get a chance to make their case that the Convention Center illegally locked them out of jobs there.
A state labor relations hearing examiner has reversed an earlier decision.
The reversal is good news for carpenters and bad news for the Convention Center, but both parties seemed surprised by the rare, if not unprecedented, move.
The hearing examiner had sent a letter to both of them saying he intended to grant the Convention Center's request to dismiss unfair labor charges brought by the carpenters, but the just-released decision says he's reconsidered, denies the motion and will schedule hearings.
"We don't really understand why or how that happened."
Convention Center president John McNichol finds the decision troubling, but carpenters spokesman Martin O'Rourke says they're pleased.
"We are hopeful and fully expect that the PLRB will find that there is credible evidence to support that the convention center violated the law."
The carpenters lost work at the center, last year, when they failed to sign a new customer service agreement by the deadline. Hearings on the issue are not expected till the fall.