NORTHAMPTON — As former employees of Iron Horse Entertainment Group allege that owner Eric Suher violated numerous labor laws at the company’s Northampton-based chain of venues, members of the local business and music communities are speaking out.
On Tuesday, NEPR published a report in which former employees of IHEG allege that Suher broke labor laws relating to working hours, late paychecks, verbal abuse on the job, meal breaks and paid sick leave, among other violations.
Attempts since Wednesday to reach Suher by phone, email and in person were unsuccessful.
Northampton City Councilor William Dwight said that he has heard rumors of similar allegations over the years, but “the fact that this is starting to snowball a little obviously concerns me, and I know that it concerns the other councilors.”
While many employers face accusations that turn out to be unfounded, Dwight added, he noted that IHEG — which comprises Iron Horse Music Hall, the Calvin Theater, Pearl Street Nightclub, and the Basement in Northampton, as well as Mountain Park in Holyoke — has been the subject of an “inordinate amount” of accusations.
“I don’t hear it about Smith College,” Dwight said, speaking about IHEG’s reputation. “I don’t hear it about Cooley Dickinson Hospital. I don’t hear it about other large employers in town.”
“This level of smoke indicates that there might be a fire somewhere,” he said.
No formal complaints appear to have been filed as of Wednesday, although a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office told the Gazette that the office is aware of the allegations and will look into the matter. Some former IHEG employees also approached the Pioneer Valley Workers Center for assistance, said the organization’s co-founder, Rose Bookbinder.
Suher has been the subject of various controversies over the years, with some artists and concertgoers criticizing the condition of IHEG venues and local chapters of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union alleging unfair labor practices around seven years ago.
But not everyone shares a negative view of conditions at IHEG. Some local musicians, including David Sokol, see Suher’s work with IHEG as a positive force that helps to keep Northampton’s music scene on the map.
“It’s had a profound effect on bringing really good music and culture to the Valley,” Sokol said of IHEG, noting that when Iron Horse Music Hall opened in 1979 under the ownership of Jordi Herold, “it was the beginning of sort of a renaissance in Northampton.”
When Herold sold the venue in 1995, and “it looked like the club wasn’t going to survive, Eric came along and revived it,” Sokol said.
“There may be some people who have negative feelings about him,” Sokol added, “but the way I look at it is, he’s done some really good things for this area.”
Sokol has played nine shows at Iron Horse Music Hall with his band, Muswell Hillbillies, and said that members have a good working relationship with Suher.
But “I’ve never worked for him,” Sokol said of Suher, “so I can’t speculate in any way what he would be like as a boss.”
Jim Armenti, a guitarist and vocalist in the band Lonesome Brothers, said that he has “nothing bad to say about Eric.”
“His face is everywhere, so naturally he’s going to draw fire,” he added. “I also get if people were working there and they got chumped on money — they should, like in any business, go after it.”
Employees who went to Pioneer Valley Workers Center for guidance met with the organization’s staff to discuss options such as involving the Attorney General’s office, bringing in private lawyers, reminding bosses of labor laws and appealing to local political power.
“We just did a lot of brainstorming with folks about what they could do,” Bookbinder said.
But Suher’s influential presence in the local music scene left many of the employees concerned that coming forward would “corrupt their careers in the music industry,” Bookbinder said, or see them “blacklisted from working in other venues.”
Labor law violations are a “systemic problem” at small businesses, Bookbinder said.
“Something that’s always been such a wonderful piece of this community is the art and culture that comes from all over the country and the world,” Bookbinder said, “and the vibrant town that isn’t inundated with a bunch of big-box stores and does have local businesses.
“But since those businesses were taken over, you can tell there’s a lack of real care to not only care for the buildings themselves but also the musicians who come, the workers who come,” she continued. “So it’s disappointing to me that someone who owns so many properties is setting a poor example.”
“I’m not putting the sole blame on Eric,” Bookbinder said, “but he’s replicating the system that’s not part of the downtown that I want to be part of.”
Other local musicians, such as Downtown Sounds worker-owner Tom Shea, said that they did not feel they had been treated poorly at IHEG venues, with Shea noting he has “made money (performing) at the Iron Horse and was treated pretty well there.” The venues, however, “tend to be run down,” Shea added.
Jeremy Macomber-Dubs, a guitarist and vocalist for the band Bunnies, echoed Shea’s point about the shabbiness of the venues. “Pearl Street, for example, it’s a really nice venue, but it’s gone to hell,” he said. “It’s not the kind of place people want to go to … It’s not as inviting now.”
Macomber-Dubs added that he’s ready to see some changes downtown, particularly when it comes to the music scene. “I’d like to see a Northampton without Eric Suher having any power in the town,” he said. “I think things will change because the word is definitely getting out now.”
Jackie Richardson contributed to this report. Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at gazettenet.com.