Howard Simmons for New York Daily News
James Dolan, CEO of Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. Dolan has been charged by the National Labor Relations Board for violating federal labor laws in his dealings with Cablevision workers
As recent elections have shown, New Yorkers understand that there is a tale of two cities in New York.
Many of us are trying to survive in a city that has increasingly become a playground for the wealthy.
For my co-workers at Cablevision and I, this tale of two cities plays itself out daily in our company.
While we struggle every day trying to survive on $ 37,000 per year, Cablevision owner James Dolan – who also owns the Knicks and Rangers – takes in more than $ 15 million a year from the company. He also benefits from a $ 17 million tax break for Madison Square Garden every year.
When the nearly 300 Brooklyn workers became the first in Cablevision to join a union for fair wages and benefits nearly two years ago, we were targeted and had our rights violated by Dolan and the company.
The company has done everything it could to fight our federally protected right to unionize, spending far more on union-busting attorneys than it would take to settle a fair contract with us.
It has gone so far to suppress the rights of workers that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has brought charges against it for violating federal labor laws – including charges against James Dolan personally.
While the company claimed it looked forward to its day in court on the charges, it attempted to make an end run around accountability by taking the federal government to court to strip the NLRB of its power, spending even more money on legal fees.
The Supreme Court refused to let the company off the hook and the NLRB hearings have begun.
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The charges against the company and Dolan are glaring, and demonstrate a tale of two companies – spending countless amounts of money on union-busting but still refusing to offer us a basic contract that would cost much less.
After we voted to join the union in Brooklyn, Cablevision became increasingly concerned that our colleagues in the Bronx would join us. The workers had the support of several New York City-elected officials, including Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Controller John Liu, Speaker Christine Quinn and former Controller Bill Thompson, who called for workers’ rights to be respected.
The NLRB charges against the company in the Bronx accuse CEO Dolan of personally threatening to deny workers job opportunities and training if they voted for the union and illegally offering benefits and raises before a unionization vote to induce workers to vote against it.
In Brooklyn, it’s been no less shameful. The company is facing NLRB charges of “bad faith bargaining” for dragging negotiations out without any intent to reach a fair contract. When several of my colleagues and I – 22 of us in total – attempted to take advantage of the company’s “open-door” policy to discuss our concerns, we were illegally fired. The labor board has brought charges against the company for these actions and to order full back pay for the illegally fired workers.
That such despicably unlawful behavior could be undertaken in Brooklyn and the Bronx by a company that receives city benefits speaks to the inequality and disparities of accountability within our city.
The NLRB should hold Cablevision accountable for violating federal labor laws.
We simply want a fair contract that no longer allows the company to pay us less than the rest of our colleagues, and our rights to be respected.
All New Yorkers deserve to have a fair shot and should be required to follow the law, regardless of whether they are working-class technicians like us or the millionaire CEO.
Boris Reid is a Cablevision field technician in Brooklyn.
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