Local example of union propaganda

Here's an example of local propaganda going on locally at the University of Illinois.

This bit of propaganda is surrounding the "rigging" that is located at the top of the University of Illinois Assembly Hall. The "rigging" is the series of catwalks, cables, ceiling mounted apparatus that holds up the scoreboard and jumbotron of sporting events, stage lighting, stage curtains, speakers, etc, etc, etc. I'm sure you're familiar with it anytime you go to a large arena, you see all of this type machinery hanging above the center of the event center action. Well.. those things above the event's center are hanging from the "rigging" mounted to the ceiling (or rafters, or whatever you can hang that from) inside the structure of the building.

The U of I Assembly Hall ( see http://tr.im/tQSQ ) was built back in the 60's and is the largest self supporting dome with no support beams that physically hold up the two concrete saucer bowls sitting on each other (inverted) to form the arena. If you drive by the Assembly Hall, you'd just about think you might be seeing a flying saucer. Anyway, the Assembly Hall is about 45+ years old.. and so is the rigging (as I understand at the present time) and it's time to replace the rigging.

The points made over and over on local radio talk show Penny For Your Thoughts (WDWS 1400 AM) by a union representative was that the Assembly Hall (University of Illinois .. a State of Illinois institution) hired out-of-state workers (which just happen to be non-union workers) that they claim are working in un-safe conditions without the right safety equipment. And that the $1.2 million to fix it should be money staying in the commmunity instead of going elsewhere.

All reasonable points I'd say.. so far. Here's a trimmed URL of how a local TV station (WCIA TV channel 3) reported the protest the union had in front of the Assembly Hall...

http://tr.im/tQIL

B-b-b-b-b-but, at the end of this report [in the link above] is that an Assembly Hall spokesman (a State of Illinois civil servant) stated that the UofI Assembly Hall followed all the guideline procedures to get bids on this job. What you DON'T hear on this report is what's been reported on WDWS news. What was reported on WDWS news was that the Assembly Hall spokesman stated that once the bidding was opened, and the bids were received, that only one bid was received by an out-of-state company .. which has all the privileges of choosing who they want to do the work. It was suggested (by the UofI Assembly Hall spokesman) to the bid winning company that they hire the local union workers that are familiar with what is necessary to do the job .. and the winning bid company declined. Period.

Seems to me. That if this job was to stay local, a local company should have made a bid for this local work, to employ local people, to bring money into the local economy, etc. If a local company doesn't bid, then there is no guarantee that any of the money given to this bid winning company will stay in the Champaign-Urbana area other than local hotel/motel/restaurant expenses paid by the workers that did the work while they were in town.

The propaganda put forth is the one-sidedness of the story given. The story given (by WCIA TV Channel 3) didn't say anything about the bidding or winning bids and that there wasn't any local bidding. Because the story is one-sided, this story put forth the flavor of propaganda that the local union workers victims of the process and unjustly treated by the University of Illinois/Assembly Hall staff all because they aren't doing the work needed. Which they aren't. The local union workers needed a local company to make a winning bid. That's where they are victims. For them, they are victims of of non-opportunity.