Gray Throws Away Leaflets Not Printed by Union Labor By Nikita Stewart, Washington Post
An hour before the event, Marchel Smiley, treasurer of Service Employees International Union Local 722, requested that the event be moved from the National Press Club building to the Hotel Washington. A regional carpenters' union was picketing the club, and 'we did not want to cross the picket line,' Smiley said.
Smiley said that he appreciated that Gray's campaign responded quickly in that instance to show respect for the unions and that he expected the same response with the leaflets. 'I will impress upon his campaign how important it is,' he said.