Gotham Gossipist: Trouble In Chelsea For Jay-Z As 40/40 Club Undergoes Renovations
By Kimberly Rae Miller
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Just one week after his superstar wife Beyonce announced her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards, Brooklyn native Jay-Z has more to worry about than baby names and nursery rhymes.
The rap mogul is facing protests outside his Chelsea bar, the 40/40 club, currently closed for remodeling and scheduled to reopen on Nov. 1.
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The club apparently hired non-union workers for the renovations, irking the union folk at The New York City District Council of Carpenters. The union insists that the non-union company hired to do the renovations does not pay their employees a standard wage or adhere to regulated labor practices.
Those in protest have placed giant, inflatable rodents outside the site. So, if you're just strolling around W. 25th Street and happen to notice a big ol' rat (anyone else tempted to get all bouncy-castle on those suckers?), you know you're in front of the other jewel of Jay-Z's eye.
According to gossip site TMZ, a representative for the club says that they are not mandated to use union workers, and that some of the carpenters protesting have resorted to some seriously un-PC tactics, using racial slurs against the workers currently doing the job.
Play nice now fellas, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar…and calling people names is so déclassé.
Kimberly Rae Miller is a writer, actress, and host living in New York City (kimberlyraemiller.com).
