NYU School of Law's Vanderbilt Hall was filled with protesters who gathered to showcase their anger toward NYU Law trustee Daniel Straus yesterday afternoon.
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Straus, who annually endows the law school with a $1.25 million donation and after whom the Straus Institute for the Advanced Study of Law and Justice is named, runs the CareOne and HealthBridge nursing home companies with his brother.
Protestors accused him of union-busting after HealthBridge in West River, Conn., locked out 100 workers last December when contract negotiations between the two sides fell through.
The nurses, who have not had contracts since last year, blasted Straus and HealthBridge for proposing to cut their wages, pensions, health insurance and other benefits. Back in 2010, CareOne fired more than 10 of its workers for engaging in union activities.
"They want to take back everything," said Barbara McFadden, an uninsured nurse who was locked out. "I am diabetic and I have to pay $400 and something for my medication."
Though the National Labors Relation Board ruled that the firings were unjustified and mandated the workers to be rehired, Care One has not complied.
Among the demonstraters were members of NYU4OWS and Student Labor Action Project groups. Their protest also featured a satirical theater performance, in which an actress played Straus.
"This is a clear case of injustice by a member of the 1 percent who has major ties to NYU, so I think it's important for the NYU community to show our outrage and declare our support with these nursing home workers," said Dan DiMaggio, a first-year Ph.D student and NYU4OWS activist.
"NYU should not be a place where members of the 1 percent can sit on governing boards and hide their injustices via hefty donations which get their names slapped on buildings and institutes, as if they were paragons of virtue," he added.
Some law students exiting the courtyard stopped to hear the protesters.
"It's really bad when someone's exploiting certain people and doing hypocritical actions with their money," third-year NYU law student Charles Agoos said.
McFadden added that her former patients are now under the care of those who "don't know what they're doing."
"You can't buy an ethical reputation," said Deborah Chernoff, the communications director for District 1199 New England — a group that represents the locked-out workers.
Straus and NYU Law were unavailable for comment.
