This has got to be a first!!!

[pickle]

Well, for all of you following my trials & tribulations with the F/M & other nonsense while trying to build a 30,000' sq. ft. haunt in under 100 days...I've got a new one for you! We were just handed a cease & desist order from the mall owners because of a labor dispute with the Union! Are you freaking kidding me...the Union has over 300+ men working on a $10m+ mall expansion here & their worried about 8-10 employees of mine fitting out a haunt? WTF are things coming to? Seriously...if the Union is that worked up over 8-10 men for a 5-6 week period, they have much bigger issues than my haunt...and they know it!

While we just got the keys a couple weeks ago, we have been working non-stop for nearly a year pre-fabing everything in my shop. So sadly, after nearly $60,000. in soft cost alone, we are regretfully pulling the plug for this season. Our attorney is attempting a "sit-down" with the mall owners & the Union officials to see if things can be "worked" out...if so, we will continue our build out, & open for weekends only next July & August (since we are in a shore tourist town) we feel we can build as strong base over the summer. We'll repair/revamp in September & re-open for October. If things cannot be "worked" out than we are back to square one looking at another location! Freakin' heartbroken & mad as hell Much time and money flushed! Union taking on a haunt!!! ONLY in freakin' New Jersey!

Well, best of luck to all of you hustling & busting your butts to repair, remodel & open for the season...I'm jealous Wish you all the best and hope to post some positives on here shortly along with pics & vids! Got to go now, I'm ordering a 60' tall inflatable cat that I'm setting up next to their 20' freakin' rat!



P.

[scottylmt]

Wow man so sorry to hear that. Unbelievable! You know, it isn't until I started researching and planning opening a haunt, that I REALLY appreciated just how easy I've had it in the massage business. A union taking on a haunt, that's just unreal..

[Frightener]

Now, I don't know JACK about unions and stuff, but seriously, WTF right do they have to complain about you?? What's their argument? Are they saying THEY should be getting paid to do your work? W/e the reason, it's freakin retarded! STUPID!

THEY DON'T WORK FOR YOU!!!!!!!! If you have a spot, it's YOUR business, I feel that you should have 100% say in what your employees ... nvm. Forget it, I'm getting riled up over something I don't understand but ... anywho.

I'm sorry for your troubles man, this country, these people we live with here, it's getting ridiculous. And I mean seriously! You can't do JACK CRAP around here, this isn't what I'd exactly call a "Free Country" when you have people ALWAYS telling you what you can or can't do. A friend of mine, lives in the STICKS! OUT of city limits, and he's got people trying to tell him to get rid of his project cars because he's 1. Not a business, 2. They're not running. 3. they're outside where people can see. His neighbors? Drive 2 minutes to even see his yard. Better than that? HE'S AT THE END OF THE ROAD!!!! They only see it when they drive to his house... unbelievable. Sorry, just that all this mess is really getting to me.

Hope things turn around for you guys and you're able to open and have a great year.


Dewayne

[Jim Warfield]

That only benefit a small group financially strikes most of us as phoney and unneeded, usually. We just get suspicious...
I know an electrician who had his non-union crew pre-fab conduit and boxes that were then installed on a bridge over the Miss. .. I think he got in trouble for that? Didn't make sense to me, but it obviously made CENTS to someone. (Dollars too!)
There will always be "Right" and "Wrong" but in these times there is a much larger area inbetween of grey and questionable dealings.
There may even be a connection, family, politically between the players in this which influence these things moreso than not.

[ravensmoon]

Is it in your lease that you have to use the Labor Union for your TI's?? I cant believe that was not discussed with you prior to the lease. If it's not in your lease have your attorney tell them to piss off!

And also it's normal only related to "permanent" construction like the fire alarm, partition walls, ceilings etc. normally any temporary or "decorative" structures are completely exempt (including workstations or cubicles which our maze's are basically the same thing) . Can you imagine Nordstrom contracting through he mall's union every time they move the shoe stands or clothing hangers around when they change the store layout a little bit??

I am sure your attorney has looked into all this, but this crap pisses me off!

[pickle]

Well to answer one question...yes, myself & our attorney carefully examined the lease agreement & NOWHERE did it say there was a PLA (Project Labor Agreement) all it referred to was to "work in harmony with all trades" which my attorney said did NOT imply we MUST utilize Union workers. My non-union company has always worked in harmony with all trades, it is the Union who chooses to not work in harmony with other non-union trades! I asked the mall owners..."have you ever seen a non-union picket line"?

The Union cannot shut me down, however there is a stipulation in the lease which says that the mall has the right to stop us should there be a labor dispute. The sad thing is not only going union (which I will NOT do) would cost me another $200,000. + to do the fit out, but it would take 4X the union workers & 3x as long to complete as my crew of honest, hard working Americans can do & is more than willing to do & is grateful for the opportunity to do it! But we now have greedy bastards wanting to deny them this opportunity? Total BULLSHIT! Free Country...doubt it! America, the land my father took a bullet for, is dangerously slipping away from its original roots and in a way I'm glad he is no longer around to have to see what has become of the land he loved so much! So freakin' pathetic I can't really put into words what I'm really thinking!

I better get off here for a few before I go off in a bad direction!



P.