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NYC residents in doorman buildings may have to volunteer to work as staff prepares to strike

Residents in some of New York’s most exclusive buildings may soon have to do some of their own chores as building workers prepare to strike if their demands for better pay and benefits aren’t met before their contracts expire in two weeks.

Property managers want to slash the vacation and sick days enjoyed by 30,000 doormen, superintendents, security officers and cleaners in residential buildings throughout the city. 

They also want staff to shoulder more of the cost of healthcare, which is currently fully paid for by the management companies, according to Bloomberg. 

The workers – who earn an average of $26.45 an hour, or $55,000 a year – want to keep their benefits and increase their pay, which they say hasn’t kept up with inflation. 

Their current contract is set to expire on April 20, and panicked building managers are already warning condo owners and tenants to prepare for a strike and help out with trash collection, packages and security in case a deal isn’t reached.

In a letter obtained by DailyMail.com, one Manhattan building manager told residents that if a deal isn’t reached by that date, residents will have to limit visitors, move-ins and move-outs; cut back on online shopping; and put their own garbage on the street on collection days.

NYC residents in doorman buildings may have to volunteer to work as staff prepares to strike 3

Tenants and condo owners throughout New York City may have to help out with security and other jobs at their buildings if employees decide to strike as their contracts are set to expire on April 20

Tenants and condo owners throughout New York City may have to help out with security and other jobs at their buildings if employees decide to strike as their contracts are set to expire on April 20

Residents at the building were also asked to ‘volunteer’ to help with lobby security, package and mail sorting in case employees decide to strike.

‘While the last strike occurred in 1991, together with the real estate industry, we believe it is prudent to plan for the operation of the building if a strike occurs. As in many prior contract expiration years, it is possible that a settlement will not be reached far in advance of the expiration date,’ the letter reads.

They were warned that some outside workers, like delivery men and contractors, may not want to provide services to them because it could be seen as ‘crossing the picket line.’ 

Hoyt & Horn Management has told its Brooklyn residents to prepare for similar sacrifices. The company says it will hire a guard to man the front door, but the temporary worker won’t operate the intercom, screen guests or take packages. Residents will also have to take their own trash to the street, since compactor rooms will be closed.

No strike has been announced as of yet.

Representatives for building managers and workers have a full schedule of meetings ahead of the upcoming contract expiration date on April 20.

‘I’m not feeling a lot of confidence,’ said Kyle Bragg, the president of SEIU 32BJ, which represents building workers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. 

‘This is not a time for moving backwards but a time for moving forward,’ he told Bloomberg, adding that the building owners and managers haven’t proposed specific wage figures.

Property managers, on the other hand, are optimistic that a deal will be reached, given that the last strike happened 30 years ago.

‘We will continue to work towards reaching a fair contract for both sides by April 20th,’ said Howard Rothschild, president of the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, which represents the managers and owners.

The building workers are paid an average of $55,000 a year under a 2018 contract that sees pay and benefits increase by 3.3 percent a year, Bloomberg reports, though costs in New York City rose by 5.1 percent in February from the year before.

Crystal Ann Johnson, 35, a concierge and doorwoman at the Silver Towers in Manhattan, said, ‘With inflation right now a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck. We are going to get what we deserve.’

Building staff also cite the increased stress and health risks of being frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘You clap for us at one moment and then, you know, you’re trying to reach into our pockets and pull out what we’ve got the next,’ said Bryce Moreno, 35, a doorman and porter at a building on East 79th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan. 

‘We are not trying to give up anything.’ 

The US consumer price index hit another 40-year high of 7.9 percent in February. 

Although the inflation data does not capture the full impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which occurred just days before the end of February, Biden in a statement chose to blame ‘Putin’s price hike.’ 

Inflation in the United States reached a new 40-year high of 7.9% in February in another grim signal for consumers

Inflation in the United States reached a new 40-year high of 7.9% in February in another grim signal for consumers

President Joe Biden

Vladimir Putin

President Joe Biden has blamed soaring inflation on Vladimir Putin, after the consumer price index hit another 40-year high

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‘A large contributor to inflation this month was an increase in gas and energy prices as markets reacted to Putin’s aggressive actions,’ said Biden.

‘As I have said from the start, there will be costs at home as we impose crippling sanctions in response to Putin’s unprovoked war, but Americans can know this: the costs we are imposing on Putin and his cronies are far more devastating than the costs we are facing,’ he added.

Republican critics scoffed at Biden’s explanation for soaring consumer prices, with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel saying: ‘Biden’s attempt to deflect blame is an insult to every American and small business owner struggling to afford the cost of everyday goods.’ 

Inflation is likely to spike even higher this month, as the impact of soaring fuel prices is taken into account. The dramatic rise in the cost of living is likely to spell trouble for Biden in November’s midterms, sparking claims the president’s decision to blame Russia is a diversionary tactic.  

The Labor Department said that the consumer price index increased 0.8 percent in February from the month before, for a 7.9 percent gain from a year ago.

It is the largest annual gain since June of 1982. Excluding volatile food and energy, prices rose 6.4 percent, the largest 12-month change since the period ending August 1982. 

The latest data showed the price of basic necessities rising sharply, with groceries up 8.6 percent from a year ago, shelter rising 4.7 percent, clothing up 6.6 percent, and energy up 25.6 percent. 

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Fernande Dalal

Update: 2024-05-04