Post Brothers use video surveillance to fight alleged union misdeeds

Union protesters at the Post Brothers’ construction site in Callowhill. Photo via Philly.com

Since March, it’s been a messy and often violent battle between union protesters and the local real estate development company the Post Brothers.

If you haven’t been following the ongoing saga, the Post Brothers company is working on a $38 million construction project in Callowhill and chose to use non-union labor [Updated: see below]. The building-trade unions haven’t been shy about expressing their anger. Last week, Philadelphia Weekly reported on one of the Post Brothers’ strategies: video surveillance.

The Goldtex building is a panopticon; more than 30 video cameras stud its perimeter. At PhillyBully.com, they post videos, photos, updates and scans of fliers union guys allegedly circulated, including one that says “Carrie Pestronk likes to get hard with it!” next to a doctored photo of one of the developer’s wives made to look like she is holding a penis. According to McVicker, the Post Brothers have a “video team” that has collected countless hours of video and more than 13,000 photos of protesters. [more]

The company is using PhillyBully.com to post their alleged evidence of union abuse.

Updated 11:05 a.m. 8/22/12 to reflect that the Post Brothers used non-union labor. Previously, we wrote that the Post Brothers didn’t use any union labor at all.