Dolan to Cablevision employees: Give management chance 'to show you that it does care'

Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) CEO Jim Dolan is taking a more hands on role in the company's cable operations, following the exit late last year of lieutenants Tom Rutledge and John Bickham. Dolan, who has focused much of his efforts in recent years on running Madison Square Garden and its professional sports teams, gave a 40-minute address Wednesday to Cablevision employees in which he encouraged them to contact him directly via email with any concerns.

Dolan

While Dolan spent most of the address focusing on Cablevision products and strategy, he also responded to a vote by Cablevision technicians and dispatchers last week to join the Communications Workers of America, according to Crain's New York. Facing the prospect of Cablevision employees in other parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut joining the union, Dolan encouraged employees to give management a chance before signing union cards.

"Give this management team a chance to show you that it does care about you as employees," Dolan said, according to Crain's, which said it obtained an audio recording of his remarks. "If you happen to be in a position where you get approached about signing a card to bring a union vote to another one of our facilities, I'm asking you not to sign it yet. I'm not asking you not to sign it forever, I'm asking you not to sign it yet."

Cablevision hasn't named a successor for Rutledge since he left his post as COO in December to join Charter Communications as CEO. With Dolan taking on more responsibility for day-to-day cable operations at Cablevision, it will be interesting to see if he will also take high profile role at cable industry events such as The Cable Show convention in Boston in May. While Dolan attends the cable convention each year, in recent years he has only taken the stage at private parties to play guitar and sing with his band, JD & The Straight Shot.

For more:
- Crain's New York has this story

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