Ex-St. Louis Cardinals offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf, chairman of the CVC’s board of directors.

The Riverfront Times writes about the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission’s efforts to reign in the unions who work at the America’s Center Convention Center. Specifically, the CVC wants to end the practice in which contractors strike their own labor agreements with the locals.

By Kristen Hinman

Now, after years of tenuous labor relations, the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission — the public agency responsible for infusing some $2 billion dollars a year into the area’s economy — has taken up arms against three unions that staff events at America’s Center.

At issue: teleprompters, tape recorders, microphones and televisions.

The offensive began March 8, when CVC president Kathleen “Kitty” Ratcliffe circulated an advisory from ex-St. Louis Cardinals offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf, chairman of the CVC’s board of directors.

“America’s Center is a building that holds few secrets from the people who work here,” Dierdorf’s memo begins. “So, you probably already know that the Convention & Visitors Commission has asked Kitty, Bruce and their staffs to begin a conversation with representatives of the 100 or so employees who regularly accept assignments involving audiovisual equipment at America’s Center.”

Under fire are the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 6 (Stagehands), the IATSE Local 143 (Projectionists) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1.Read more…

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