De Blasio Steers NBA Toward Barclays For All-Star Game

Following the announcement last week by officials that New York City would get the 2015 All-Star game, New York Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is asking the NBA to choose Barclays Center over Madison Square Garden, reported The New York Daily News.

The last time NYC hosted the All-Star event at the Garden was in 1998. But this time, both Barclays and Madison Square Garden have put in their bids. The public advocate then penned a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern requesting they go with Barclays Center because of Knicks owner James Dolan’s alleged union-busting practices—practices for which MSG should not be rewarded.

“Choosing Barclays would ... ensure that the NBA does not give a tacit stamp of approval to the unfair, anti-worker polices of the owner of Madison Square Garden,” de Blasio wrote.

According to de Blasio, Dolan has played a role in siding with Corbel Installations, a Cablevision sub-contractor currently under investigation by the feds for unfair labor practices with the Communications Workers of America, the union representing most of MSG's workers.

CWA charges that Cablevision is backing a move to decertify the union, while Corbel Installations has been refused to recognize its workers’ decision to join the union.