With the world economy in such an uncertain state, Sotheby’s fall auction of Impressionist and modern art Wednesday night was bound to be tense anyway. But the auction house’s continuing contract dispute with its unionized art handlers – who have been locked out for three months and have been staging increasingly publicized demonstrations – recently prompted it to institute much stricter security measures surrounding the fall sale.

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When Sotheby’s walked away from labor negotiations and locked out its art handlers, the company likely did not realize the magnitude of the repercussions that would soon follow. After a series of protests and embarrassing interruptions at auctions, Sotheby’s has had to increase security, conduct I.D. checks, and require large deposits to enter the facility.

Recently, Sotheby’s has taken steps further. It has decided to lock out the general public from viewing its galleries. The decision will likely alienate the company even further from its NY neighbors, increasing its reputation as a greedy, exclusive company interested only in profit and part of the 1%.

Gallerist NY has the story:

First Sotheby’s locked out their art handlers, and now they are locking out the general public. GalleristNY reportsthat the auction giant is limiting access to its 10th floor galleries where some of the house’s most valuable lots are on view before this week’s sales. While usually anyone is allowed to view the works, now you have to be either a member of the press or a Sotheby’s account holder to gain access. If you’re neither of those, not to worry — you just need a $5,000 line of credit to see the art.

 

Sotheby’s move is intended to prevent more protests from Occupy Wall Street, who have joined the Teamsters Local 814 art handlers in protest on several occasions, including at last week’s Occupy Museums rally. Occupy Wall Street also disrupted a mid-season Contemporary at Sotheby’s last month.

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NTD: Locked-out Sotheby’s International Art Handlers Negotiate Back-to-work Contracts

According to their website, New Tang Dynasty Television serves more than 100 million potential viewers in China and around the world. However, today there serving a much smaller number–43 locked out art handlers at Sotheby’s.

NTD has released a story about Sotheby’s decision to lock out it workers. Check it out below or see it on their website here.

Occupy Wall Street: Actor Susan Sarandon Protests Outside Sotheby’s

Never one to shy away from publicly supporting causes she believes in, Academy Award-winning actor Susan Sarandon joined demonstrations this week in New York City that involved Occupy Wall Street protesters and union activists. Ms. Sarandon won her Oscar for playing the role of real-life nun Sister Helen Prejean in the 1995 film, Dead Man Walking.

Susan Sarandon joined the group of people protesting outside of Sotheby’s auction house in Manhattan on Tuesday. Protesters from Occupy Wall Street, a growing movement protesting corporate greed, joined a Teamsters labor rally outside the auction house. Union art handlers were experiencing a lock-out due to a labor dispute. While she was there, a teamster gave Ms. Sarandon his jacket. Read more…

A union-affiliated investor group, CtW Investors, publicly called upon Sotheby’s corporate board and its chairman, Michael I. Sovern, to rethink the implications of keeping James Murdoch (son of Rupert) on as a director. The letter was published on the heels of a contentious NewsCorp investor meetingin Los Angeles earlier in the day.

Published as a press release Friday afternoon, the letter to Sovern notes that several institutional investors and financial firms in addition to CtW intend to vote against James Murdoch’s re-election to the NewsCorp board — although it likely won’t matter because the Murdochs have control of 40 percent of voting shares in the company (they own 12 percent of it), and are also close allies with Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, who holds 7 percent of voting shares. However, that will not dissuade CtW and others from going after other corporations — such as Sotheby’s — where James Murdoch holds directorships or board positions. Read more…

There is a right way and a wrong way to pick up a $15,000 chair that was made in 18th century France. According to Sotheby’s art handler Luis Baucage, this kind of knowledge matters when you’re handling high-priced antiques. “But there’s more than a price tag underneath the cushion,” Baucage cautioned. “There’s an entire history to learn.”

There is a right way and a wrong way to pick up a $15,000 chair that was made in 18th century France. According to Sotheby’s art handler Luis Baucage, this kind of knowledge matters when you’re handling high-priced antiques. “But there’s more than a price tag underneath the cushion,” Baucage cautioned. “There’s an entire history to learn.”

MetroFocus asked those on the picket line Wednesday about their role in the world of high-end art auctions, and how they feel about the work they so artfully handle.

Read the rest of MetroFocus’ article here.

Fox News NY Gets It Wrong; Lies to Public

Watch out Steven Colbert. There is a new conservative satirist in town with hilarious material bound to make at least 99 percent of America laugh. Oh wait. Never mind. It is Fox News, and it isn’t a joke. They are serious, which is actually quite sad.

Fox News NY released a story yesterday about the protests at Sotheby’s. But rather than focusing on the 43 art handlers who have been locked out from their jobs or alerting the public that Sotheby’s boasts record profits and has approved a 125 percent pay raise for its executive officers, they decided to focus on the legality of the protests.  In doing so, they tell a series of lies so ridiculous, one has to make sure this isn’t a report from Comedy Central.

Let’s set the record straight:

• The protests in front of Sotheby’s are not marches they are pickets, which are legally protected. NYPD has also been in constant communication with the art handlers and have been quite helpful.
• The deliberately selected soundbite of the woman stating she can’t get into the building is another lie. There are barricades controlled by NYPD that allow a clear path into Sotheby’s.
• Fox states the workers are not finding many sympathetic New Yorkers, but they fail to report the cacophony of honking horns that pass by the picket line, or passersby who shout support, or the poll showing New Yorkers support Occupy Wall Street 3 to 1.
• And then there is the soundbite from the woman who complains that she never asked the government for anything. If Fox is trying to suggest the locked out workers are asking the government for a bailout, that is a lie too. The picket is about wanting to come back to work with a dignified contact.

Fox news tries to paint Sotheby’s and its board members as heroes for creating jobs. But who wants a job that abuses and exploits its workers? Sotheby’s CEO, William Ruprecht is receiving a newly approved six million dollar salary to buy a second yacht or whatever you do with that kind of money when the workers who actually care for and install the art don’t have adequate health care. That is not a hero. Real heroes think of others before themselves.

You can watch Fox News’ embarrassingly inept story here.

Al Jazeera Runs Story on Sotheby’s Dispute [VIDEO]

The YouTube channel AlJazeeraEnglish has posted a new video covering the labor dispute between Sotheby’s and its locked out art handlers. In the video, Al Jazeera is able to capture the perspective of arriving clients on camera.

At one point in the video, a dapper dressed man admits to being in the top one percent and feeling bad about the uneven distribution of wealth. Others quickly dodge the camera to avoid giving an answer.

Sotheby’s who had originally offered Al Jazeera the opportunity to film the auction later cancelled it.

Watch the video here.

Reporters from international media to nationally syndicated radio programs to local newspapers such as the Daily News and the New York Post all came to Occupy Sothebys at 72nd and York. The burgeoning movement was to join forces with the art handlers to protest what the 1 percent are doing to the 99 percent.

The message was clear: As art handler Julian Tysh said to radio host Thom Hartmann, “They’re trying to turn good union jobs into crap Walmart jobs.”

OWSers — Wall Street Occupiers — planned to join the art handlers picket line at 1:30 p.m. New York City police arrived and put up more barricades. But logistical problems caused the OWSers to arrive two hours late. Spirits started to flag on the picket line with no word of their whereabouts.

Around 3:30 a dozen photographers appeared — as did Susan Sarandon. Then the school bus finally arrived and the OWSers poured out of it. They picked up signs that said “Sotheby’s is Bad for Art,” and “Stop the War on Workers.” Soon the sounds of ”All Day, All Week, Occupy Wall Street,” could be heard on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Here’s what Sarandon said:

I am a union member and I’m here to support other unions.

She donned a Teamster jacket and chatted graciously with art handlers as photographers snapped away.

A photo of Sarandon on the picket line even made it on the New York Post. You can see it here.