Dealers: Is it worth it to travel all over the country for shows?

I know personally of several dealers who had such outrageous bills handed to them. Fortunately, the Unions have no way to actually collect on these fees, so everyone seems to have ignored them.

 

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Sounds a lot like Philadelphia. No offense meant to anyone who lives there, but to me that city has always seemed to have "issues". I bet the ANA will think long and hard before having another show there. I know some of the tax issues as well, and the nightmare they can be in that city.

Philly was the city that invented the idea of taxing visiting ballplayers a percentage of their seasons income. Basically they were taxing 100% of Philly players, and a percentage of every visiting player until all other states had to pass similar rules to tax Philly players in return.

 

I've been to the Whitman Philadelphia shows and also did this past ANA in Philadelphia, both at the Convention Center, and can tell you first-hand of the loud complaining that many dealers engaged in with respect to the unions or for bills to move inventory as well as other complaints. This was a significant issue that was burning up discussion at the shows and eventually may cost Philadelphia future shows.

 

that can't be right!?!?

 

I've seen the bill, itemized.

As for whose rules, Union rules and the Convention Center. they have a contract with the union that the union handles all the unloading and if the Convention Center doesn't insist that the dealers have the union do the unloading they run the risk of having the the union striking and possibly the other unions walking out in support. Can you imagine an ANA show with all the collectors having to walk through a picket line to get in? Not mention if the electricians union decides to support them you have a bourse floor with no electrical power or lights.

 

I'd like to see one of those bills to see what exactly was included in the $7,000. Although union workers are generally paid more than non-union, "movers" don't make that much, probably not even a living wage. Maybe they were armed guards.

 

Sounds like just a bunch of anti-union propaganda. I seriously doubt you couldn't just move your crates yourself. I know you would probably prefer to hire movers that will work for $2 an hour for 12 hour days while you wine and dine for several days and write it off then pay union workers a fair wage. On the same note, you and all your family should work for $2 an hour, 12 hours a day for seven days for the Coke Brothers or something. If that is true though about the fees, why did you even attend? Why would you bother?

 

Sorry, but this sounds like a lot of class envy nonsensical garbage. Who said $2 an hour? They are claiming a bill for $7000 for half an hours work. Surely even the union thinks this is a touch on the high side? Everything else in your post simply sounds like 99 percenter hogwash designed to stoke class warfare.

 

Doug, its a fact.. I worked at a place years ago that setup at COBO HALL in Detroit for the Home show.. We were not allowed to even touch a hammer, screwdriver, plyers, etc.. Union Labor had to unload the Merchandise, Build the displays, Tear down and wrap the displays and reload the trucks when it was done. Its so bad we could NOT even plug in a lamp without getting a Union Electrician to do it. Cross the line, you get fined and or tossed from the venue. Our "Union" bill exceeded my yearly Salary for every show.. Total time. (take out coffee, pee, talking Breaks. was probably 8-10 hours setup and another 8 for teardown. Sorry was a little off topic here...

 

+! It's a race to the bottom! We should all work for $10/week, like they do in China.

 

Dealers don't sign contracts with the Convention center they sign contracts with the ANA. The ANA signs contracts with the Convention Center and I don't know what they say. Heck I have to admit I don't know in detail what the dealer contracts with the ANA say.

I don't know what would happen if you refused to let the movers unload. I can think of several things that might happen. No carts available, people pulling cases out of your vehicle anyway while you are putting cases on a cart. knocking cases off the cart while you get others out, Blocking the cart as you try to take it to the table. Sabotage to your vehicle while you take the cart to the table. Picket your table during the show and not let people approach.

 

Well if they want to talk in the extremes so be it. The reason you can't work for $2 a day for 12 hours a day is because of labor laws you can contribute to unions. I am not the one starting class warfare I leave that to those that attack fair wages because maybe they spent a lot of money wining and dining at the top restaurants in Philadelphia while complaining about movers. Nobody is envying anyone but if you want to union bust and start class warfare, people are going to strike back. You can't exactly attack low-wage earners like movers proclaiming false wages on behalf of the rich and then claim class warfare.

 

I don't believe it either but do believe lodging and eating out every meals for several days in Philadelphia will run you. Maybe not as much as New York. If this was the truth, the convention center in Philadelphia would have no conventions. They would simply locate somewhere else.

 

What I am objecting to sir is the fact not one post made any mention of wishing to pay workers $2 an hour, wishing to "wine and dine" at the expense of anyone. It was you sir who brought in the notion that the dealers were rich people wishing to profiteer on the backs of "poor workers". Most dealers I know work hard at their job, and are not rich multimillionaires with no concern with the working class. In fact, for many the working class is where they came from, and whom most of their customers are.

Not one word about "union busting" was mentioned until you said it. It was simply saying $7000 for half an hour work when the dealer wished to do it himself if he could sounded horribly excessive.

 

I don't know what the exact motivation for statements like this or stating it costs $7000 for movers to unload your vehicle but it all sounds fabricated to me. The convention center would have no conventions if that was the case. If you believe this all to be the case maybe attending the Philadelphia show is not for you but I believe it all to be false. Maybe $7000 was the cost of the entire trip. I was not saying that dealers were rich and want to pay $2 an hour to movers while they drink champaign, eat caviar, and laugh but that would be the other extreme. People are often persuaded and motivated to do things that are against their own best interests.

 

I was there; it isn't a bunch of anti-union propaganda. Dealers were getting in trouble (lectured, told they could not do that) for moving and plugging in their lights. Something bad was going on in Philly during the last two Whitman shows and the ANA. Whether it was done to provoke confrontation or was a negotiation ploy is what I do not know, but I do know that many dealers would be quite happy if Philadelphia lost its shows.

 

I don’t think this is the appropriate forum to discuss wages as it is politically charged. However, as for who started it, it was Conder101 who first mentioned the ridiculous union wages, based on no evidence other than speculation, which is clearly wrong and in sighted those who know it to be untrue.