September 10, 2014
By Neal Tepel
New York, NY – On the morning of September 8h, Cablevision CEO James Dolan, accompanied by several security guards showed up at the company’s 96th Street garage without prior notice and announced that the Cablevision Organization has scheduled an illegal, impromptu vote on September 10 to determine—once again—if the Brooklyn Cablevision workers still want CWA union representation, even though a pending decision on charges that Cablevision violated federal labor laws restricts similar action.
Dolan’s appearance is the culmination of a multi-year, anti-union intimidation campaign that includes illegal mass firings, bad-faith bargaining, and other actions intended to break the union and discourage workers.
“This is just another PR stunt in James Dolan's union-busting campaigns," said CWA District One Vice President Chris Shelton. After years of waging an illegal intimidation campaign, firing pro-union workers and refusing to bargain fairly with the hundreds of union supporters, he wants to hold a secret, sham poll, continued Shelton.
The real election happened almost three years ago when 180 workers voted to join CWA in an election supervised by the Federal government. In June of 2013, 174 workers reaffirmed their support for the union in an advertisement printed in The Daily News. And just two months ago, despite the fear campaign, 189 Cablevision workers sent Dolan individually-signed petitions stating “we’re sticking with the union” and they continue to fight for parity in pay and treatment with workers outside of Brooklyn.
“This bogus election is a waste of time and money. What’s really needed is for James Dolan to sit down and bargain a fair contract that includes equal pay with other Cablevision employees,” said Shelton.
