Diana Taylor is perhaps most famous as the arm candy of New York City's top plutocrat Mayor Mike Bloomberg. She is however, an accomplished woman of her own means, and was on the GOP's short list to challenge new Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for her seat in 2010.
She also sits on a handful of corporate boards, including Brookfield Properties, the real estate holding company that owns the land Zuccotti Park was built upon. Another seat she fills is on the prestigious Sotheby's Art Auction house board. Sotheby's is currently in midst of a four-month lock out over union contract disputes with their art handler's union. Art handlers do the work of physically moving the art around and ensuring the art is kept safe. At issue? Sotheby's wants workers to give up their 401ks. Local 814 President Jason Ide also tells the New York Observer:
“They’re trying to shorten the work week to 36 hours, which is an average of 2.5 hours per week, really harsh overtime cuts, they’re trying to replace us skilled workers with temporary guys, uh what else. Oh! This is really weird — I didn’t even know this was legal — they wanted us to waive our rights to report any legal violations on their part. As an individual you can’t file violations through the union, which is how we do things. Apparently they just want us not to be able to file them at all.”
What does an art handler do?
“We take care of Rembrandts, van Goghs and Picassos. [...] We’re highly trained. I’m convinced that if we stay out here and we fight and we let people know what’s happening here, we will prevail.”
On Nov. 14,
students from NYC's Hunter College joined Local 814 in solidarity carrying signs that said "Occupy Sothebys." Some arrests resulted. Dave Buccola
reports back:
I can’t help but be impressed by what’s happening. The rank and file of organized labor, labor leadership, students, people across the political spectrum both young and old are coming together in bold and dynamic ways to stop business as usual.
From Sotheby'sIsBadForArt.com:
In 2010, Sotheby’s sales increased by 74 percent to $4.8 billion. And recently, Sotheby’s reported its most profitable quarter in the company’s 267-year history.
Yep. Times are good for the 1 percent, from
WNYC, New York Public Radio:
Recovering from a dismal 2009 in which the auction house suffered a $6 million loss, Sotheby’s had a very successful 2010, with a net income of $161 million, according to a Sotheby's spokesperson. Consolidated sales were up 74 percent from the previous year in 2010, and CEO William Ruprecht’s pay more than doubled to $6 million as a result of the high earnings.
“We were a big part of that success,” said Ide. “And they came to us and asked for cutbacks. It doesn’t make sense.”
In the video above, Union members confronted Taylor at a Hudson River Park Trust Board of Directors meeting (another board Ms. 1 percent sits on) and pestered her with questions and pleas to use her position do the right thing by Sotheby's working families.
You are on the board of Sotheby's. Are you on the board of Sotheby's? Are you going to ignore what's happening in your name? Are you going to ignore what's happening? Mrs. Taylor you have the power to do the right thing. Will you please tell us why you're not doing the right thing? Tell us why you're not doing the right thing.
Please speak to us. We're families that are going to lose our health care here. We want to go back to work, we're hard working New Yorkers. We're respectful people. We want our jobs back.
Taylor's reply is shockingly terse, contemptuous and disrespectful:
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 if he accedes to any of your demands I will resign from the board. That's all I have to say to you. Thank you.
The things that people will resign over. Over "any" concession to the union? You really mean to say it's your way or the highway, Ms. Taylor? Is it really so hard to go back to the bargaining table and break off a few more pennies for the working class?
Hat tip to @Elana_Brooklyn.