Results tagged “realtyadvisoryboard”

Thousands of commercial office workers, such as janitors and doormen, voted to strike on January 1 if building owners do not agree to give them raises. The workers, part of Service Employees International Union's Local 32BJ union, believe that building owners can afford to give them "significant raises" because owners have been benefiting from high rents. However, the owners says the economy is too shaky to give them raises. Members of the union marched from...

Hoorah! The union representing doormen, porters, and other apartment building workers came to a and building owners' management have struck a tentative deal late last night, keeping the workers on the job today. (When we checked to see what happened at midnight, they announced there was an agreement, but there would be a press conference around 2 or 3AM!) Workers will get raises of 8.5% over four years (but they won't kick in until the second half of the first year), and their health and pensions will remain unchanged (though there is a cap on medical costs during the last 2 years). Also, this contract would be for four, instead of three years, which makes both sides happy (though the union had wanted a five year contract): Union president Mike Fishman said, "We've achieved what we wanted to achieve. We've made compromises, but we think it's a good agreement for all of us," which the Realty Advisory Board's James Berg said, "I think this agreement will serve both the employers and the employees and provide us with four years of stability."

...but the president of the union said that there was a "good possibility" of a strike during an afternoon press conference, according to the NY Times. Union Local 32BJ and Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations are arguing over contributions to health care (the union doesn't want to contribute 15% of health premiums) and pay (the building owners want a pay freeze) for a year. And while buildings are saying they pay thousands towards healthcare, the unions and their supporters point out how wealthy these buildings are during this hot real estate market. Negotiations are happening at the midtown Sheraton; the deadline is midnight tonight.

Residents in buildings with doormen, porters, and supers are getting jittery as the doorman's union and management are far apart in the new contract negotiations. However, the Realty Advisory Board (aka management) says that having different views is par for the course and that there's room to negotiate. The big sticking point for the union, Local 32BJ, is that management wants them to pay for 15% of their health care premiums, saying that the real estate business has been doing so well, management can afford to cover it. A reader told us that her doorman said negotiations were really bad, that this was the worst he'd seen it in 10+years...but the union seemed to be hinting that they might be willing to pay a small percentage of health care.