NY1 covers the picketing art handlers while the Wall Street Journal gives equal time to Sotheby’s position on the lockout:
“This was not an outcome Sotheby’s wanted,” spokeswoman Diana Phillips said in a statement.
She added: “Given the repeated threats of a strike, which could have been organized at any time, and our fall season just over a month away, we needed to make alternative staffing arrangements so we could assure our clients of smooth and uninterrupted service.”
The auction house wants to offer buyouts and replace some of the unionized art handlers with nonunion labor, according to the union. Sotheby’s says it has been negotiating “in good faith” since May, and “had offered a contract with attractive terms which unfortunately [the union] did not accept,” according to Ms. Phillips. […]
The auction house disputed the idea that its business would suffer from a decline in quality of service with the addition of temporary workers. “Sotheby’s is fully staffed and secure and open for business as usual and we will continue to provide the same level of service for our New York clients as we do for our clients around the world,” Ms. Phillips said.
Union Art Handlers in Dispute with Sotheby’s (NY1)
Sotheby’s Handler Dispute Spills into the Streets (Wall Street Journal)
