A few days ago, I received a bulky package in the mail from the city of St. Paul, Minn., filled with handy information about that city.
The attached letter began, “Dear Member of the Media, We look forward to hosting you in Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Capital City, for the Republican National Convention in September 2008!”
I have nothing against St. Paul – other than its freewheeling use of capital letters and exclamation points – but why is it that it can get the job done while Denver struggles?
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will hand down his decision regarding the location of the 2008 Democratic National Convention – Denver or New York City – early this month.
To any reasonable person, the question must be a no-brainer. NYC has money woes (which means lack of enthusiasm). The West has become fertile ground for Democrats, and everyone in the Mile High City is clamoring to get behind the idea.
Well, almost everyone.
Enter the always feared and always mighty Local No. 7 International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and its glorious leader, Jim Taylor.
It’s difficult to convey how appreciative I am of Denver-area stagehands for all their superb work, but, really, who wasn’t surprised that a minor union shop could muscle the entire city of Denver.
Taylor refuses to sign a pledge promising to be a good boy and refrain from striking during the convention.
And Democrats will under no circumstance pitch their tent in a city where delegates are forced to cross any picket line of any union for any reason.
Stepping over the homeless on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan is a different story – as long as they’re not collectively bargaining for change, of course.
Taylor’s little power play will not only deny Denver the national spotlight but perhaps – if the stars align just right – cost Democrats momentum and the votes needed to swing Colorado in their direction.
(OK, there’s always a bright side.)
Supposedly, the problem is that Denver’s bid includes the Pepsi Center rather than the Colorado Convention Center. Taylor has decided that the Pepsi Center is not labor friendly enough.
Leslie Moody, president of the Denver Area Labor Federation, the local bigwig of the AFL-CIO, says stop blaming Taylor and blame sports entrepreneur Stan Kroenke, owner of the Pepsi Center, for failing to negotiate.
You know what? Kroenke has created countless jobs in Denver. That is good for “labor.” As far as I can tell, Leslie Moody and Jim Taylor have yet to create a single job in this town.
Worse. If Taylor goes forward with this fiasco, he’ll end up a costing the city hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs – many of them union jobs.
The real goal, it seems, is to put pressure on the Pepsi Center to unionize its workers. (This way sports fans can enjoy higher prices and substandard service.)
And Taylor is a tough-as- nails negotiator. He’s serious. He’s old-school. The guy once picketed the Pepsi Center during a Bruce Spring steen concert, for God’s sake.
That night must have really rocked The Boss’ world.
In the end, though, it’s not only Taylor’s fault. It is the responsibility of city leaders to fix this minor nuisance, or Denver will lose out on a historic event that stands to generate more than $150 million for the city.
Let’s remember that blackmailing an entire city is the only way private-sector unions can grow. Fact is, union membership has precipitously fallen for nearly four decades – except for those that live off public money.
That doesn’t mean the city should kowtow. Rather, it should call Taylor’s bluff.
First of all, there is no way to change the bid at this late date.
But more importantly, compliance would be the most disastrous outcome. It would empower shysters throughout the city to come out of the woodwork every time they smell blood.
David Harsanyi’s column appears Monday and Thursday. Reach him at 303-954-1255 or dharsanyi@denverpost.com.
