Wives of Locked-Out Teamsters Address New York Women's Foundation Dinner

Workers' Families Call on Diana Taylor to End the Lockout at Sotheby's

QUEENS, N.Y., Oct. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The wives of five Teamster art handlers called on Sotheby's board member Diana Taylor to end a lockout at Sotheby's Auction House [NYSE:BID] Tuesday night. The women attended the annual neighborhood dinner of the New York Women's Foundation, where Taylor is Chair of the Board of Directors.

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Sotheby's locked out its staff of 43 art handlers without paychecks three months ago. The company has hired union-hostile law firm Jackson Lewis in an attempt to starve its workers into giving up their job security and accepting wage cuts.

The art handlers are represented by Teamsters Local 814 in Long Island City, NY.

The wives of the locked-out art handlers distributed handbills inside the dinner that read, "Diana 'Wall Street' Taylor: Killing Jobs, Hurting New York Families."

"Sotheby's and Diana Taylor are part of the top 1 percent in this country. As chair of the Women's Foundation, Diana Taylor should support their mission of working for economic security and justice for women," said Pat Walsh, wife of locked-out art handler John Walsh. "So why, as a board member of Sotheby's Auction House, does she condone Sotheby's throwing hardworking New Yorkers out on the street without paychecks? Our families rely on these good jobs and benefits."

Despite more than $774 million in revenue last year, Sotheby's continues to insist on wage cuts, the right to eliminate the workers' retirement plan and to permanently replace skilled art handlers with inexperienced, outsourced workers.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.

SOURCE Teamsters Local 814