“Enough Is Enough”: 32BJ SEIU Ready to Enter Strike Zone

The workers who keep New York City moving are ready to come to a full stop.

The 34,000 doorpersons, porters, superintendents, handypersons and resident managers have rejected the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations’ (RAB) proposal for an updated contract and are preparing to strike.

The workers are demanding fair wage increases to accommodate for the high cost of living, pension improvement, and expansion of protections for immigrant members. Their union, 32BJ SEIU, says that RAB has not met demands ahead of the current contract expiration on April 20.

As a result, 32BJ strike captains set up meeting spots across Manhattan and Brooklyn this week to prepare for a citywide walkout that would start immediately after the strike authorization vote set for April 15.

If the workers, who earn $35 an hour on average, go on a full strike, it would be the first time since 1991, when the 32BJ strike authorization vote, after unsuccessful negotiations with RAB, led to a 12-day walkout and ultimately a 4 percent wage increase over a three-year contract. Now, thousands of buildings would be left without residential staff and 1.5 million New York City residents would potentially be impacted by worsening conditions, including foul-smelling buildings due to trash buildup.

Still, Luis Ayala, a porter on the East River and 32BJ Strike Captain, said a walkout would be necessary if RAB does not meet their demands for a fair contract.

“ These are members that hold the buildings up. We keep ‘em clean, we keep ‘em refreshed, we keep the garbage moving in and out, and a strike would really, really change the atmosphere,” said Ayala. “We will continue to work to the best of our ability and giving us what we want is really just giving us what we deserve.”

According to 32BJ, the “insulting” contract offered by RAB last week shifts the cost of health care onto workers, introduces a “Tier II” workforce for those hired after April 20, 2026, who will get paid less, and offers no commitment to urgent pension improvements. Even while the real estate industry enjoys record-high rental prices, high property values, and low vacancy rates, the union reports that many of its members are falling behind and unable to live in the city they work in.

Jacquel Gilmore, concierge at a luxury condo building in Kips Bay for four years, spoke about how the delays on health care and pension plans are having real effects on him and his family’s future.

“My wife and I are already living paycheck to paycheck. Without a fair contract, we’ve had to put our plans to start a family on hold,” said Gilmore. “Enough is enough. For the work we do, we need to know that we can provide for ourselves and our families.”

However, RAB maintains that it is still willing to work with the union to meet its contract demands. Howard Rothschild, president of the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, spoke about how changing city policies, particularly Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan for a four-year rent freeze on 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, may impact the board’s ability to meet 32BJ’s demands.

“We are committed to working with 32BJ to reach a fair contract, but there is still significant distance between the parties. The likelihood of zero percent rent increases across nearly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments in New York City for years during the entire life of this contract will significantly limit the industry’s ability to support wage growth,” said Rothschild. “At the same time, co-ops and condos basically operate as non-profits and they are already contending with rising tax burdens and increased common charges. 32BJ has recognized these facts across the table, and we hope that we can work together to confront the economic realities facing the industry.”

Of this response, 32BJ President Manny Pastreich reaffirmed that the demands of the building workers are economically more than possible to meet, especially given the current status of the real estate market.

“Our members are the essential workers the residential real estate industry and this city rely on in snowstorms, throughout COVID, and every day. The RAB’s proposals to cut costs on the backs of its essential workers are insulting,” said Pastreich. “Claiming landlords can’t raise rents flies in the face of the real life experience of most New Yorkers, including our members struggling to make ends meet. While the thriving industry continues to record-high rents, high property values, and historic low vacancy rates, many of our members are fighting just to keep up. We will fight until we win a fair contract that allows our members to pay their bills, have health care coverage, support their families, and retire with dignity.”

Still, 32BJ says support for the workers is growing among tenants and elected officials alike. In March, District 2 Council Member Harvey Epstein voiced his support at a 32BJ rally during the first week of contract negotiations.

“We’re going to stand like we did with the nurses. We’re going to stand with 32BJ. We’re going to stand with the workers to make sure they get what they deserve,” said Epstein. “This is their moment. This is our moment. This is our city.”