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Kravis Center Reneges on Agreement and Commits New Unfair Labor Practices

IATSE General Board Endorses Obama 2nd Term

New York, May 17 – The reckless disregard of federal labor law continues in West Palm Beach, Fl.  The Kravis Center’s Chief Executive Officer, Judith A. Mitchell, and International President Matthew D. Loeb, reached an accord on a new collective bargaining pact and resolution of all outstanding litigation in January, 2012.  From February through April of this year, attorneys for both sides committed the January agreement to writing.  Then, Ms. Mitchell refused to sign the agreement that she had already supported.

The Kravis Center has been in continuous violation of federal labor laws for almost twelve years.  The conflict began in 2000, when The Kravis Center unlawfully declared impasse and illegally discharged a group of employees.  Unfair labor practices were filed in March 2001.  The Kravis Center has been held to have violated federal labor laws by every independent entity considering the charges, including regional attorneys in 2001; a federal administrative law judge in 2002; the George W. Bush-appointed NLRB in 2007, and a federal appellate court in 2008.

By order of the federal court, The Kravis Center negotiated with the IATSE from February, 2009 until December, 2010.  In January, 2011, The Kravis Center once more illegally declared impasse and unlawfully fired the same group of employees who were unlawfully fired in September, 2000.  After eight months of investigation, lawyers for the NLRB have concluded that The Kravis Center has again violated federal labor law.

Instead of signing the agreement negotiated to resolve all this, Judith Mitchell has reneged on the agreement.  She has chosen to litigate again the millions of dollars of back pay that is owing to employees who were illegally terminated and add to the millions of dollars in attorneys’ fees that The Kravis Center has already paid to implement and maintain its unlawful conduct.

International President Matthew D. Loeb has promised to keep fighting The Kravis Center and “do whatever it takes” to get this facility to do what it has been ordered, on numerous occasions to do, not only because it is the legal thing but because it is the right thing.

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The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees or IATSE (full name: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada), is a labor union representing over 170,000 technicians, artisans and craftspersons in the entertainment industry, including live events, motion picture and television production, broadcast, and trade shows in the United States and Canada.

For more information please contact:
General: comms@iatse.net
Press: press@iatse.net

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