About 60 employees -- center's cleaning and maintenance staffs -- lost their jobs Wednesday, according to those on the picket lines.
"It's called union busting," said Brookfield's Ed Burke, the former chief engineer for the building's maintenance crews, who worked at the center for more than 20 years. "They didn't give us anything. They just walked us out of the building."
Burke, who has a wife and two children, said he doesn't know what he's going to do. His wife is a stay-at-home mom.
"There just aren't any jobs out there anymore," he said, adding that he also lost his and his family's health benefits.
The former employees said they were walked off the job by security guards Wednesday afternoon, less than an hour after the sale of the building to Matrix Group Realty of New York.
"This is disgusting," said Courtney Hibert, an employee of one of the building's tenants. "It's not right. Now all these people are out of a job. Nobody will be able to take care of the building like they did."
[...]
Former employees said there were rumors months ago that their jobs were on the line as a result of the sale. Their positions were posted on Monster.com -- a popular job posting Web site -- this spring.
Several of the employees who lost their jobs said they had sent their resumes to the new owner by registered mail but received no response.
[...]
An official with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30, which represents the 10 maintenance workers who lost their jobs, said they plan to file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging unfair labor practices.
"This is union busting and it's against the law," said Tony Calandrino, the union's business representative for the state. "They didn't even give these people a chance to interview for their own positions."
Mayor Mark Boughton said he toured the facility with the new owner a couple of months ago and expressed his concern that the employees be accommodated. "Ultimately they have their business model and will manage the property the best way they know how," Boughton said Thursday.
Talk about leadership right?
Well, maybe Boughton's comment has something to do with the organization sponsoring the 2009 Mayor's Cup.
04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school
06.03.22 (OP-ED): KUSHNER: "Career Academy ‘a great deal for Danbury"
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
