News

UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings, who is in New York to attend the board meeting of the UN Global Compact, says the treatment of the art handlers shows a flagrant disregard for workers’ rights and the recent outburst by Sotheby’s director Diana Taylor had added insult to injury. Teamster General President Jim Hoffa has sent a letter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asking him to remove Diana Taylor from the board of the Hudson River Park Trust after she berated Sotheby’s workers at a public meeting.

“The comments made by Diana Taylor were wholly unacceptable. She showed contempt for ordinary, decent New York workers which makes her unfit to be on a public board. UNI stands with the Teamsters who have asked the Governor of New York to remove her forthwith.”

During a meeting of the Hudson River Park Trust, Taylor made the following statement to art handlers David Martinez and Julian Tysh: "I have one thing to say to you. I have had one conversation with [Sotheby's CEO] Bill Ruprecht about this, and I told him that if he accedes to any of your demands, I will resign from the board."

UNI, along with other global union federations and Swiss unions, recently held a demonstration in front of Sotheby’s in Geneva and gave patrons of a jewel auction the facts on the lock-out of the 43 Sotheby’s workers in New York. They have been shut out of the job by the company in an effort to force them to accept the outsourcing of their jobs to companies that employ temporary workers. Sotheby’s has demanded pay cuts and the right to terminate the employees’ pensions. These cuts come after the auction house had one of its best years in its 267 year history and nearly doubled its CEO’s compensation to $6 million.

UNI will continue to support the global campaign against Sotheby’s anti-worker, anti-union stance.