Tavern workers’ jobs extended through the holiday season

With Tavern on the Green's current lease set to expire on December 31, 2009, it was feared that the restaurant would have to close before the busy holiday season in order to have enough time to secure and resell its expensive paintings, furnishings and other fixtures.

But a federal judge said that Tavern will be able to remain open during the holidays and accept restaurant, party and banquet reservations through New Year's Eve. The union hailed this news, noting that it had expressed support for the extension to the City of New York.

The landlord at Tavern on the Green is the city's Parks Department. The union appealed to elected officials, including Mayor Bloomberg, seeking the lease extension to enable the workers to stay employed throughout the holiday season.

The lobbying worked. The city's Law Department said in U.S. Bankruptcy Court that an extension would benefit the restaurant, its creditors, tourists and the city itself Judge Allan L. Gropper agreed, issuing a declaration from the bench, stating, "I'd like to see the restaurant stay open." According to published reports the judge said that he considered two weeks to a month to be "a reasonable transition period."

The lease extension was opposed by Dean Poll, the owner of the Boathouse, a non-union restaurant that is located in Central Park, who has won exclusive rights to negotiate a new lease for Tavern on the Green with the City's Parks Department. Mr. Poll even said that if the lease was extended he would consider closing the restaurant for up to two years for renovations.

The decision came after Tavern on the Green had asked the bankruptcy court for a temporary restraining order to allow the restaurant extra time to settle its affairs. The union made no secret of its support for the extension and in fact stated so publicly.

"Obviously, we are delighted that our members at Tavern on the Green will be able to work through the holidays, which traditionally has represented a significant portion of their annual income," union President Peter Ward said. "We are also very pleased that the City of New York supported our position and we thank Mayor Bloomberg and his administration for its understanding in this matter."

The union has also publicly expressed its determination to have its members who are employed at Tavern on the Green remain on the job even after the restaurant changes hands. As Hotel Voice reported several weeks ago, Dean Poll has submitted a long list of giveback demands to the union regarding Tavern on the Green.

The union has informed Mr. Poll that it has no intention of seeing the current Tavern employees thrown out on the street. Tavern workers remain united and committed to the cause of saving their jobs, and all sorts of work is taking place at the union to prepare for a strike or any other action that may become necessary to protect those jobs.