Philadelphia Union Protesting Outside 2300 Arena During AEW Residency

Last night's "AEW Dynamite" kicked off the promotion's residency at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but there's been some local controversy with regard to how the crew is being compensated. The Philadelphia chapter of the IATSE union, which represents stage crews, has shared its belief in a post on social media (via Brandon Thurston) that AEW is not paying its crew for the residency up to union standards, which damages their bargaining position.

According to a video posted by the union on Facebook, which Thurston shared, AEW typically works with venues that have a unionized crew, but the 2300 Arena has avoided working with the union for many years. The leadership of the IATSE chapter believes that AEW has enough pull to get union workers on the job, or at least to pay the existing crew to the same standards.

A few dozen protesters were present outside the arena last night to picket "Dynamite," but they made it clear that they weren't attempting to convince anyone not to attend the show. Instead, they encouraged people to make their voices clear in-person and online over the use of non-union crews for this residency.

AEW is scheduled to run seven events at the 2300 Arena, including last night's "Dynamite." The residency runs until Thursday, September 11. Next up is the ROH Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view, scheduled for tomorrow night.

2300 Arena has a long history with professional wrestling. The venue was once the home of ECW, and WWE taped an episode of "NXT" there last November, among many other events held at the arena over the years.