A definite frost was in the air early Wednesday as sleep-deprived party activists wolfed bagels, eggs and coffee in their daily caucus.

The temperature change was brought on by the arrival of Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson at the Democratic National Convention. The issue was Anderson's proud defiance of labor late last month when he crossed a police-union picket line to attend the Conference of Mayors meeting in Boston. He also helped arrange for Republican Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to appear as a replacement speaker for John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who had boycotted the event because of the picket line.

Anderson, seated at the back of the delegation's caucus room early Wednesday, described his reception by Utah delegates as "a little brisk." The first-time Utah convention delegate said he was a bit surprised at the reception, adding, "It's really unfortunate it gets to the point people refuse to shake each others' hands."

A few minutes later, Utah AFL-CIO President Ed Mayne pointedly dropped a sheaf of labor handouts on the table in front of Anderson, including several pages dealing with the mayor's picket-crossing. Mayne, a state senator, is the head of a sizable contingent of labor representatives on the Utah delegation.

Anderson then amended his earlier description, saying, "Yeah, they're mad."

But the outspoken mayor made no apologies, saying he will never be one to "fall in lockstep

labor unions, especially those making "unreasonable demands" and "threatening to undermine great events to promote their agenda."

Party leaders rushed to smooth over the tension as a fleeting and trivial matter that was being fanned by news reporters bored by the unwavering, on-message harmony of the convention. "It's over," insisted Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch, unofficial peacekeeper of the delegation.

"It was a little internal family squabble and unfortunately it has taken away from the unity that we have," Hatch said. "It's a minor squabble and we'll get over this."

"No, we won't," interrupted Mayne, adding he will be mad at Anderson "until I die."

Anderson does "some things that are fine and other things that drive you crazy," Mayne said. "Some things are about principle and this is one of them.

"He's not the mayor of Boston," fumed Mayne. "It's not his job. Take care of Salt Lake City. What is he, the mayor of the universe?"