City slams Charter on its vendors

‘AGENCY FEES’ AT ISSUE

CABLE GIANT Charter Communications did little to ensure it hired city-based contractors and relied on a loose definition of “located” to meet the terms of their franchise agreement, according to a city report.

An audit by the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications found that only seven of the 26 vendors Charter does business with are in the city — despite a stipulation that it use local labor whenever possible.

Only 27% of the vendors listed by Charter meet that requirement, the city said, not 77%, as claimed by Charter. Some of the addresses Charter submitted for its vendors were storage places, the audit found.

The agency also noted that Charter and Local 3 — which has been out on strike for 11 months now — have a case pending with the National Labor Relations Board. Charter is accused of wrongfully suspending four workers in April 2014 and “coercively interrogating” them.

An administrative law judge upheld Local 3’s claims in 2016 — prompting Charter to appeal the ruling to the labor board.

If the board finds that Charter is guilty as charged, the city will give it a default — which the will be factored into its 2020 decision about renewing the franchise agreement.

The company could also get a default if its doesn’t make “best efforts” on local vendors by the next audit.

In its written response to the city report, Charter defended its definition of “located” and accused Local 3 of more than 100 acts of vandalism.

“We continue to meet our franchise obligations, and our response to their findings is included in the report,” a spokesman said Saturday.

Mayor de Blasio, a supporter of Local 3, thanked the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications its actions.

“It’s been almost a year that Local 3 workers have been on strike . . It’s far past time for management to come to the table with a fair deal,” he said.