Union Ready to Fight New "Tavern on the Green" Operator

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The union that organizes restaurant workers at Tavern on the Green is spoiling for a fight with the new leaseholder, who's trying to renegotiate the union's contract. The new operator, Dean Poll, was awarded the license by the Parks Department last month, but he's under no obligation to honor the previous labor contract. So he wants the workers to agree to a pay cut, agree to no advance notice for layoffs or reduction in hours, and a change to the banquet staff to a vague new hourly rate, without tips. They're currently paid $5.26 an hour with tips.

Peter Ward, president of the restaurant’s union, isn't exactly feeling it. "This proposal is an insult, an atrocity and a slap in the face of not only this union but every New Yorker," he tells the Times. We will strike this guy for a hundred years over this, and we will never, ever give in." The union's done it before; back in 1989 there was a 10 week strike at Tavern when the union fought to represent the workers. Business declined by 60%, and restaurant patrons had to pass by a gauntlet of vulgar insults from strikers.

At Tavern, union waiters have been making from $35,000 to $45,000 a year with tips, and senior banquet waiters as much as $60,000 a year. Poll says it's necessary to cut salaries to ensure profitability, especially in light of the current Tavern operator's filing for bankruptcy, despite running one of the highest-grossing restaurants in America. But Ward brushes off concerns about profitability:

Tavern was an immensely profitable restaurant for every year it has been a union restaurant — except one [2008]... [Poll] can sit down and negotiate with us in good faith to work out a fair contract. Or he can do it the hard way, and we will drive his customers away, and when he gets to the point where he has no business and no choice, then he’ll sign a contract with us. Poll is going to settle a contract with us the easy way or the hard way.

This is the union that previously brought Warner Le Roy and the Cipriani family to their knees after bitter strikes, so Poll ought to know they're not bluffing.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Food on September 22, 2009 5:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Matt Joyce

Seriously, unions are there to protect the quality of life of people who work. They ensure safety, quality of goods and services rendered, and fair compensation. Our economic policy in recent years has been to rip the heart out of our own goods and manufacturing economy in favor of chinese / japanese manufactured goods. This is in turn supporting the indentured servitude of millions, the decline in quality of goods across the board, and consequently an increased reliance on a "disposable society".

Most countries don't have unions because their legislative branches are protecting their economies and their workers... the US does not do that, and more often than not is doing its best to make it impossible for entrepreneurship, and the persistence of diversity in our economic markets.

In short, you are all complete morons and your adamant cries against unions beg the destruction of our nation's economy. The last and only line of defense for the protection of entire industries in the US revolve around the existence of unions.

If our elected officials were even attempting to do their jobs they would not need to exist.

mr right

Unions are good only for there own pocket. Nobody else.

If they are such good businessmen, why do they not purchase the establishments they are striking against?

After all, we do know who runs the unions....

The labor department is the answer and not unions!

$7.25 is the minimum wage. We suggest that the new owners pay there employees the minimum wage.

Workers should not join unions as it is a catastrophe for business and ends up leaving a lot of people unemployed in the long run. Businesses do eventually end up closing from the greed of the unions!

gothamguy

"and a change to the banquet staff to a vague new hourly rate, without tips. They're currently paid $5.26 an hour with tips."

Doesn't sound like the union has been doing much for these folks all along.

leepresson

Unionized waiters, brilliant idea.

Oxford

"Unions. Because if you can't earn your money, you can always use coercion."

schadenfreudian mensch

"change to the banquet staff to a vague new hourly rate, without tips. They're currently paid $5.26 an hour with tips."

Well, if they sudden are no longer wait staff serving food, which i find hard to believe, then their rate of pay would need to jump to $7.25/hr without tips.

ides_of_march

The unions have money. Why don't THEY buy the restaurant and pay the workers what they are demanding and show us all how easy it is to run a profitable business under those conditions.

Sleepy

We still have unions? But why?

Read the New Yorker article on teachers unions. Ridiculous.

hunter.blatherer

Whoo hoo! I loves me a good strike; would be a great idea for all the restaurants in the city to do a general strike - system-wide abuses make it justified.

Mr Mel

The Restaurant will reach an agreement with the Union as soon as they reach the right guy in the Union. It wont be hard.

ed_Extinct

You know what I love about the Union Rat, it's made in a non union factory out side of Chicago.

petemac

Really? I'm all for Unions but they are a bunch of hypocrites sometimes... you never see them out protesting in front of the non-union McDonald's or Wendy's... just the nice cozy construction jobs or higher paying restaurant jobs...