As many of you have hopefully followed Alerts and as I have explained ad nauseam – it is all about connecting the dots. WELL – let’s us start by looking at Mayor Raven Rooney (Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl) from the north side of Pittsburgh whose campaign manager is Aletheia Henry from ….where from ? None other than Columbus, Ohio.
The same city that controls Stage AE – with Columbus, Ohio based Promowest Productions. The same development company called Continental Real Estate from Columbus, Ohio that is in control of the North shore.
CONNECTIONS = YES
Stage AE on the North shore was built a couple of years ago 100% union and once it opened is staffed 100% non-union. The Rooney’s (Pittsburgh Steelers) are joint owners 50/50 with Columbus, Ohio-based Promowest Productions which has a similar non-union venue in Columbus, Ohio. Promowest is a notorious anti-union company that has documented NLRB cases on file.
Columbus, Ohio, Promowest in 2007 engaged in a series of coordinated Unfair Labor Practices intended to discourage support for the Union, using a combination of suspensions and coercive promises of wage increases and threats to close the facility.
The Rooney’s and Promowest received 2.5 million of state RCAP tax dollars as a sub grantee through the Stadium Authority as the Grantee to build Stage AE. The Steelers (Art Rooney II) has said that Promowest handles the day-to-day management of the venue and that the Steelers organization has nothing to do with Stage AE. Yet evidence suggests otherwise, the Steelers are co-owners and were actively pursuing the construction for Stage AE and tax money for years.
Promowest has sub contracted Stagehand work to an out-of-state labor contractor by the name of Todd Harris out of Weirton, West Virginia. Mr. Harris uses Stagehands from all over including out-of-state from Columbus Ohio. These individuals and this company are not part of the local tax base and do not contribute to the local economy in any way. Further adding insult to this is the fact that these individuals are paid cash. Many of the individuals have indicated that indeed they are paid cash for their services. However, they remain in fear of both physical harm and loss of employment back in Columbus, Ohio should they speak on the matter to Pittsburgh authorities.
The Steelers and Promowest have orchestrated a deliberate shell game to circumvent the union, thus preventing prevailing wages from being paid while also paying no benefits, seeing that cash is paid and not contributing to the Pittsburgh tax base, all while taking our tax dollars.
Now, Jimmie Sacco, Operations Manager for Heinz Field and the Steelers organization who has been instrumental in the Stage AE and other areas of development on the North shore is being awarded at the DAPPER Dan Charity Feb. 6, 2013.
The same guy that comes from “Pittsburgh’s darling family” that can do no wrong, professing to be a UNION family.
* The man who is instrumental in putting Stage AE together and is utilizing a workforce from out-of-state and allowing them to be paid cash.
* The man who said to both International Representatives and Local Representatives he never heard of Todd Harris the flesh peddling out-of-state labor contractor at Stage AE and in and outside the UNION house – Heinz Field.
* The man who assisted in declaring that City Police officers not be paid their overtime event rate for the NHL Hockey New Years Day winter classic at Heinz Field.
* The man who assisted with locking out Stagehands and using scabs for the Bon Jovi NFL Kickoff game in 2006 at Heinz Field.
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In Solidarity I remain, Shawn W. Foyle, Secretary Treasurer IATSE Local No.3
