[SML] Boston Mayor's aides convicted of demanding music festival hire union stagehands.

[June Abernathy]

So, the festival organizers assumed that the City Hall staffers were demanding that they use union labor in exchange for approving permits, although that had not been the case in previous years. The jury apparently agreed with that view. 

You, Dale, are assuming that the union was behind this situation? Pressuring the City Staffers to pressure the event organizers into using Union labor? There is no mention in the article of this. You’re assuming that is what everyone will assume and that therefore the situation is a “black eye to the union’s reputation”?

That’s a lot of assuming for facts not in evidence. I think I’m going to withhold judgement here. 

June Abernathy
IATSE #321
FOH Electrician
The Lion King National Tour

> On Aug 9, 2019, at 2:15 PM,Dale Farmer <dale at cybercom.net> wrote:
> 
> Short version.   Two senior city hall staffers were in a final meeting 
> with the Boston Calling music festival organizers days before the event. 
>  They say they asked the organizers to hire union stagehands.  But they 
> still had not handed over the final city permits needed for the event 
> when they asked.  The festival organizers felt that if they didn't agree 
> to what they viewed as a demand, they wouldn't get the needed city 
> permits.    They hired union stagehands and got the permits.  Someone 
> asked the FBI to investigate and this trial resulted.
> 
> My memory (Unreliable on this, as I never worked the event myself) was 
> that in prior years, they used a mix of paid non-union stagehands, and 
> volunteers. anyone with first hand knowledge, feel free to correct facts.)
> 
> My opinion, big black eye to the union's reputation.
> 
> Dale
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