Work Starts At RNC With Union Labor 7/23

Work on the RNC at the Tampa Bay Times Forum is well on its way with still over a month to go. Most of the labor at the RNC are members of labor unions including many of the production people, forklift drivers, steel workers, riggers, and carpenters. I.A.T.S.E. Local 321 has managed to get much of the production labor despite the fact the Times Forum is traditionally a scab venue. This goes against the grain of the story line that republicans are anti labor even though the Republican party often uses union labor for their big events. In the Tampa Bay area local 321 has worked for both sides of the aisles, including a mock debate for candidate Obama and a real debate during the republican primaries sponsored by The Tea Party and CNN. During the 2008 elections the democrats were threatened by the unions with bad advertising before they capitulated and used them for the convention. Sometimes reality doesn’t fit the storyline. Check back here for updates on the RNC from Tampa including pictures of the progress.
UPDATE 8/11/2012:
Slighted By The DNC, Unions Are Holding Their Own “Shadow” Convention In Philadelphia
According to a report from the Associated Press, “Prominent labor leaders created the “Workers Stand for America” rally after what they say was their lack of input into planning for the 2012 Democratic Convention in Charlotte, N.C., which is set to begin Sept. 4. They say thousands of union workers will rally to call attention to issues affecting the middle class. The centerpiece of the event is a “Second Bill of Rights” laying out workers’ rights.” They say the unions are “upset by the Democratic Party’s decision to stage its presidential convention in a Southern state long viewed as hostile to organized labor, union leaders are holding a rally where they hope to highlight key issues important to middle-class workers.” “It wasn’t just that North Carolina was a right-to-work state with the lowest rate of unionization in the country,” IBEW President Ed Hil said. Nor was it the fact that delegates, lobbyists, and bigwig Democrats would be hobnobbing at nonunion hotels and listening to speeches at the nonunion Charlotte Convention Center.
For Hill, it went beyond that. “There was no discussion really with the leadership of the AFL-CIO or with the building trades,” he told National Journal. “Maybe it was just a wake-up call to the fact that no one was really asking us, no one was really talking to us, no one was really discussing our issues that have been laying out there for a long time and eating at people.” For more on the Democrats taking the unions for granted see The Big Fail: Taken For Granted
UPDATE 8/202012 The RNC releases the Republican National Convention 2012 Fact Sheet which gives all the details of the production work.
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Two weeks in two minutes from Tampa

This is a time-lapse video of the construction taking place at the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Footage is from 7/14/12 – 7/27/12.

This is a time-lapse video from 7/27/12 – 8/3/12.




Construction Time-Lapse Video, Final Week




Time-lapse video; August 30, 2012 overnight construction change over to the bigger podium.




News From RNC 8/9

PHOTOS

The First Day of Production 7/23

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Pushing Cases Is Over, Time To Put This Stuff Together 7/24

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Truss Starting to get hung over the main stage area 7/25

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Lighting Starts 7/26 & 27

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Hanging the Last Few Lights 7/30

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Getting the lighting truss to trim height 7/31

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Lighting Truss Goes To Trim, Time for Fru Fru 8/1

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Building The Main Stage 8/2

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The Many Layers Of The Main Stage, And The TV Booths Getting Completed 8/3

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Sound Loads In 8/6

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The Video Walls Start To Go Up 8/7

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More Sound and Video 8/8

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Video Surrounds Get Hung 8/9

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TGIF, Wrapping Up a Good Week 8/10

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Setting up Some Spot Lights 8/13

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8/14

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8/15-17

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RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Gets a Walk Through 8/19

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The Stage Reveal To The Press 8/20

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Getting The Floor Ready For The Delegates 8/21

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The Flags Are Hung On The Parking Garage 8/22-23

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The Day Of The Balloons 8/24

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The Last Weekend Before the Convention Starts 8/25-26

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The First Day cancelled due to Hurricane Isaac Monday 8/27

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The Second Day Roll call and Chris Christie Keynote Address Tuesday 8/28

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The Third Day Paul Ryan’s Acceptance Speech Wednesday 8/29

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The Final Day Mitt Romney’s Acceptance Speech Thursday 8/30

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Load Out and The Chair Friday 8/31

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THANKS FOR LOOKING AND ENJOY