This flyer, prepared by the Teamsters, will be distributed by picketers on Randall’s Island throughout the Frieze Fair
According to documents obtained by Hyperallergic, the Teamsters have decided to renege on their announcement, made at last month’s City Hall press conference, to not target Deutsche Bank in their ongoing fight against Frieze New York’s labor practices. Bernadette Kelly, International Representative of the Teamsters, told Hyperallergic this evening that: “We changed our minds after numerous attempts to reach out to Frieze organizers in New York failed, the avenues available to us haven’t yielded desirable results.”
As a result, Deutsche Bank, the corporate sponsor of the Frieze Art Fair both in New York and London, will be indefinitely targeted as part of the union campaign to reform labor practices at the Randall’s Island event. “Our only alternative is to put as much pressure on Deutsche Bank as possible, including through the year leading into the next fair … On the one hand [Deutsche Bank does] wonderful things for the art community, but as far as Americans are concerned they are one of the leading foreclosers on their homes,” Kelly said.
The Carpenter’s Union has been picketing the Deutsche Bank offices at 60 Wall Street for the last week and a half, and Kelly stated further that the Teamsters plan on picketing the event on Randall’s Island beginning tomorrow, May 9. New York City Councilmembers Melissa Mark-Viverito and Elizabeth Crowley will also be joining the union representatives on the island.
Why should a “fair” offer health insurance to their young temporary employees. Are they full-time employees with contracts working at this fair? Does the fact that it is an art fair have some relevance I am unaware of?