Labor showdown may loom at Tavern on the Green
Mr. Dean Poll was awarded the license to New York City's famous Tavern on the Green restaurant last month, after thirty-three years of ownership by the LaRoy family. The current owners have declared bankruptcy and will relinquish control to Mr. Poll beginning January 1. Mr. Poll has already announced $25 million in planned renovations. Mr. Poll has also proposed a sweeping contract shake-up, intended to take the restaurant smoothly through the economic crisis and ensure that many (or all) jobs will not be lost. The proposal includes lower wages, lower overtime, less vacation, changes in pension and benefits, increased management control, and some changes in union jurisdiction over certain positions. Mr. Poll says it is necessary to save the restaurant, the union says it will fight 'this guy' for 100 years if it has to. A strike is anticipated on or soon after January 1.
See "Labor showdown may loom at Tavern on the Green", Glenn Collins, The New York Times, September 21, 2009