-32BJ Establishes Team of Nearly 1,000 Strike Captains –
New York, NY – April 16, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Strike preparations for city’s apartment building workers have intensified this week with nearly 1,000 strike captains meeting at key sites throughout the city. The meetings, which began on Wednesday, provide strike captains with information on picket line rules, signage and a host of legal issues.
“Nobody wants a strike, but we need to be ready for that very real possibility,” said Kyle Bragg, 32BJ Vice President for Residential Building Workers. “Locking apartment building workers into a contract that does not keep pace with the city’s high cost of living is not an option.”
The contract, which covers 30,000 doormen, superintendents, resident managers, porters, handymen and concierges, expires at 12:01 a.m. on April 21st. In the event of a strike, more than one million New York City apartments, co-op and condominium residents would be directly affected. Contract talks between 32BJ and the RAB began on March 9th.
“We are ready to walk out if we need to,” said Santiago Gonzalez, a doorman on the Upper East Side and strike captain. We all have families to support and rents to pay.”
The union seeks wage increases that keeps up with the rising cost of living and maintains family health care, training and pension. In an effort to lower building operating costs, the union is urging employers to increase participation in a new “Green Buildings” training program.
The RAB has proposed cutting sick days, overtime and vacation and is pushing a new, two-tier pay and benefit scale that would deny new hires full pay, fully employer paid healthcare and any pension.
Under the current contract, New York City apartment building workers make an average of $40,000 a year. In the four years since the last contract, the consumer price index (CPI) in the New York City area has jumped 11.3%, while wages have increased by just 8.5% With more than 120,000 members, 32BJ is the largest property service workers union in the country. For more information, visit http://www.standwithbuildingworkers.org/press
Contact:
Eugenio H. Villasante 212-539-2940; 646 285 1087
Matt Nerzig 212-539-2882; 917 584 0787
