I know a couple of brothers that design and set up trade show booths all over the country.
They seldom do shows in NYC because of the unions. One was telling me that if they pull up to a venue with something like a piece of carpet, it takes one union member to unload it onto the dock, another union worker to carry it in the door, a Teamster to tote it to the proper location, and another union member to install it.
All get paid a minimum of 1 hour even if it only takes 5 minutes.
He had a crew of 20 union guys lined up to begin work (at close to $100/hr each), and they all just started walking away. He asked what the hell they were doing and they told him “We’re going for a coffee break and talk about this first. You’re in New York and that’s just how we do things here.”
And yet people blame the failing economy on the President.