Curious residents driving through downtown Fayetteville may have noticed a huge sign across from the old county courthouse.

The sign reads, “Shame on McRae Communications,” and involves a labor dispute involving the communications company and an Atlanta labor union.

McRae president Joe Snowden said he didn’t know anything about the problem until he saw the sign and picketers in front of his office one day.

The dispute concerns the advertising and public relations agency’s move from the heart of Fayetteville to downtown Atlanta. Within the next month, Snowden and his company will be moving into the top floor of The Equitable Building in Atlanta.

“I hired a general contractor, Choate, who evidently hired some non-union workers to help refurbish the space in The Equitable Building,” he said.

Snowden said the picketers are not union workers, but rather picketers hired by the union to make their point.

“They show up around 10 or so each day and picket and hand out flyers,” he said.

The communications company owner said he understands the frustration of the union, but said he is also a believer in the marketplace.

“People should have the right to group together for better wages, but you also have to allow the free marketplace system to work,” he said.

As for his impending move to Atlanta at the end of May, Snowden said the decision was based on his client and employee mix.

“Our client mix has changed. All except one of our customers is north of Interstate 20,” he said.

Snowden said 70 percent of his workforce commute from Atlanta or further north each day.

“We were just losing a lot of man-hours with people driving here and then driving back to Atlanta to meet with customers,” he said.

Snowden owns one of the three buildings on the courthouse square that his company uses, and said he is actively working, along with his landlords, to find the right company to fill the space that he’s occupied for more than 10 years.

“It’s been a great location for us, but it’s just time to move on,” he said.

According to McRae’s website, “McRae has renovated a historic department store building, occupying about half a block on the Courthouse Square ... Our location attracts both clients and employees with a unique combination of ‘Mayberry’ environment and state-of-the-art firepower. It’s another thing McRae has done differently than other shops, and perhaps one of the reasons we’ve grown to be among the Southeast’s leading independent agencies.”