You might have spotted bright orange Build Fair Philly lawn signs on rowhouses and lawns around Philadelphia and wondered what they were all about. They’re part of a campaign led by the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters to raise awareness about irresponsible construction.

“We are not against development; if anything, we want more development,” said James Hocker, assistant executive secretary-treasurer with the Carpenters, in a statement shared with The Philadelphia Inquirer. “But we want more responsible development, development that’s built in a fair way that is creating opportunities. We want to see licensed contractors on these projects. We want to see contractors that are paying their workers a responsible wage.”

The campaign, Hocker said, is not only about getting more work for the Carpenters members. It also involves holding contractors and developers accountable for not hiring in Philadelphia.

“We want development that’s going to create opportunities, whether it’s union or nonunion, for individuals that live in the city of Philadelphia,” Hocker said to the Inquirer. “We feel that the development that happens in these communities should reflect what the community looks like. It shouldn’t be a bunch of out-of-state license plates.”

As of early July, Build Fair Philly reported receiving thousands of pledges and canvassing efforts, including 10,000 pledges signed, over 6,500 signs distributed, more than 17,500 doors canvassed, and nine billboards targeting the Post Brothers, a major Philadelphia developer.

“We’re not asking for elected officials or anybody in any kind of position to create new laws and policies,” said Joseph Lockley, senior council representative for the Carpenters, in a statement shared with the Inquirer. “These are laws, policies, and procedures that are already in place that are just not being pushed and enforced, or even prioritized.”

Stephen Jacob Smith, executive director of the Center for Building in North America, believes that the Carpenters are simply trying to jump onto a growing effort by unions through the U.S. Northeast to reverse their declining market share while protecting opportunities for city residents.

“Exactly what they have in mind as the mechanism, I do not know,” Smith said of the Carpenters in a statement to the Inquirer. “They have a bunch of political levers, and I don’t know which of them they’re trying to pull with this.”