Thousands of apartment building workers rallied on the Upper East Side Wednesday and voted to approve a possible strike ahead of negotiations for their next contract.
On April 20, the contract expires for about 30,000 doormen, porters and other members of the 32BJ union for buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The strike authorization allows the union to use the threat of a strike in negotiations.
The last contract was signed in 2010.
More than 20,000 union members marched from 79th Street and Fifth Avenue to 83rd Street and Park Avenue before voting whether to authorize a strike if there isn’t an acceptable contract.
The workers wanted to show unity and voice hope for more money and maintenance of their health benefits.
Demonstrators said they’re happy for the support and are confident that negotiations with the realty advisory board will be fruitful.
“We’re pretty much asking for a fair increase because everything is going up in this city, and we just love this city and we would like to keep on living in this city, so we just need a fair increase to keep on living in this city,” said one worker.
“The cost of living is going up, you know? Apartment building, your apartment, the food and the grocery store, you know, all those things, so we need a raise,” said another.
A spokesperson for the Realty Advisory Board on labor relations released a statement that says, “…we are both committed to the same goal: reaching a fair contract that includes wage increases and protects the generous health and pension benefits that workers enjoy today.”
Strike authorization is a procedural move that happens almost every time a contract expires, but the last strike was in 1991, and before that, you have to go back to the 1970s.
The union expects a hard offer in terms of wages from the realty advisory board on April 8.
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