Cablevision Violated Workers’ Rights, Court Says

A judge has ruled that Cablevision violated federal labor law multiple times, in an effort to fight a unionization drive among its workers.

The case concerns several hundred technicians in the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Gay Semmel, an attorney for the Communications Workers of America, said the decision is unusual because it directly criticizes Cablevision CEO James Dolan for threatening workers.

“In my 30 plus years as a labor attorney I have never seen a situation in which the CEO commits their own unfair labor practices. Usually they hire people to do that,” Semel said.

Cablevision must now give back pay to 22 unfairly terminated workers.

In a statement, the company said it disagrees with much of the decision, but is pleased that the court found Cablevision had negotiated in good faith with its Brooklyn technicians. Cablevision says the judge's decision isn't binding until affirmed by the National Labor Relations Board. The company also wants the NLRB to allow Brooklyn workers to vote on whether they want to continue to be represented by a union.