On July 29th Sotheby’s locked out its staff of over forty union art handlers. With the guidance of infamous union-hostile law firm Jackson Lewis, management came to the bargaining table with a long list of concessions they wanted from the workers. Despite making over $680 million in profit last year, Sotheby’s continues to demand cuts, including the right  to replace union art handlers with low wage laborers and to completely eliminate the workers’ retirement plan.

As the art world continues to be an integral part of this city’s economy, there is simply no excuse for jobs in the art world--especially at hugely profitable institutions like Sotheby’s--to be turned into low-wage, temporary positions.