Teamsters March on Offices of Westbury Partners and US Small Business Administration

NEW YORK, NY (04/04/2012)(readMedia)-- Dozens of Teamsters marched on the Long Island offices of private equity firm Westbury Partners and the US Small Business Administration to demand that Westbury comply with a recent judge's ruling to reinstate workers illegally fired for union activity at Westbury's subsidiary AFL Web Printing. These Teamsters tried to meet with Westbury management to deliver their message directly. They also picketed in front of Westbury's headquarters and handed out leaflets calling on the company to stop delaying, respect the judge's ruling and rehire the workers immediately.

On March 27th, 2012 a judge of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Westbury Partners' subsidiary AFL Web Printing had violated the National Labor Relations Act by illegally firing six workers in 2010 for organizing to join GCC/IBT Local 1-L. As part of the ruling, the judge called on the company to reinstate the workers and provide them with back pay and benefits.

AFL Web Printing is owned by Westbury Partners, a Long Island-based private equity fund owned by Joseph G. Fogg III and federally-licensed Small Business Investment Corporation (SBIC) whose largest investor is the US Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA is responsible for auditing Westbury and has the power to revoke the company's SBIC license.

"AFL Web Printing workers who were fired for organizing a union have been waiting for justice for nearly two years. Westbury Partners has a responsibility to ensure that its subsidiary complies with the judge's ruling and immediately reinstates these workers with back pay," said Patrick LoPresti, President of GCC/IBT Local 1-L. "As the largest investor in Westbury Partners, the Small Business Administration has a responsibility to ensure that Westbury and its subsidiaries don't use government money to break the law and violate workers' rights."

AFL Web Printing workers voted to join GCC/IBT Local 1-L in August 2010. To this day the workers have been unable to win a first contract because AFL has dragged its feet. Local 1-L is preparing to file NLRB charges against the company for refusing to bargain in good faith.

The NLRB is not the only federal agency to cite AFL for illegal activity. In July 2011 the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined AFL Web Printing $170,000 for serious and willful safety violations that put "its workers at risk of serious injury and possible death."

GCC/IBT Local 1-L has been reaching out to AFL's major customers, including leafleting in front of their headquarters, to educate them about the company's illegal conduct and ask them to move their business to a responsible printing company.

AFL's elite customers include the Financial Times, the Village Voice, Women's Wear Daily, Investor's Business Daily, Daily Racing Form, the Washington Square News and other major publications.

For more info visit AFLWebExposed.org.