6/03/2012

Sotheby's and Teamsters Agree to New Contract


Crain's NY Business is reporting Sotheby's and the Teamsters Union have agreed upon a new three year contract for art handlers. The agreement was reached after a 10 month long stand-off which included the art handlers being lock-out.

Crain's reports
"This wasn't about a desire to fight," he said. "This was about a desire to improve the workplace. A more productive employer provides better job security and can provide better wages and benefits."

The lockout, which began a month before Occupy Wall Street, quickly became a cause célèbre for the protesters. They picketed outside the auction house, conducted actions inside that sought to disrupt sales, visited board members at their homes and places of business and targeted the auction house's partners.

On several occasions, protesters demonstrated inside restaurants owned by Danny Meyer, a Sotheby's board member. They also targeted board Chairman Michael Sovern, a professor at Columbia University.

"This was a tough fight," Mr. Miranda said. "Now, we begin the job of rebuilding the relationship with Sotheby's, which had always been a good place to work."

A spokeswoman for the auction house said that Sotheby's "is pleased that it has reached a new collective bargaining agreement with Local 814 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters," but would not comment further.

The Teamsters had reached a deal last spring with rival auction house Christie's for a starting salary of $17.50 per hour, rising to $19.50 after raises kick in.
Source: Crain's Business NY 

No comments: