Carpenters have rejoined the Building Trades after Johnny Doc’s departure. It’s been more than eight years since the Carpenters left the politically influential coalition of building trade unions after an acrimonious dispute at the Convention Center.
Using an inflatable "fat cat," carpenters protested outside the Convention Center on July 11, 2014. Earlier that year, John Dougherty and his electricians union crossed the carpenters' picket line.A truce has been called in one of Philadelphia labor’s most infamous grudges: The Carpenters union is rejoining the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council.
Dougherty was found guilty of federal bribery charges in November. He’s stepped down from the top spot at the Building Trades Council and a new leader, Ryan Boyer of the Laborers District Council,“I am so happy to welcome the Carpenters Union back to the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council,” Boyer said in a Tuesday statement.from leadership in 2016 and the Carpenters union was rebranded as the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.
Rather, he said, it was about “adding to the collective strength of the trades,” especially when it comes to political organizing and diverse hiring. “It’s a good time to have unity.”