They’re taking the back door.
The union repping thousands of doormen, porters and superintendents across the Big Apple announced Friday it has reached a tentative agreement to stave off a strike.
The 32BJ SEIU union said it had struck a preliminary deal with the Realty Advisory Board, the group that represents city building owners, after threatening to walk off the job in a fight over wages and healthcare.
The union repping thousands of doormen, porters and superintendents across the Big Apple announced Friday it has reached a tentative agreement to stave off a strike. Stefano Giovannini for NY PostThe 34,000-member strong labor group — which was set to walk off the job Tuesday in what would have been its first strike since 1991 — revealed it scored wins on all its demands.
“There was never any doubt that [the RAB] wanted to do the right thing for the workers and people who take care of the buildings,” Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ SEIU, said at a press conference.
“It was just how we’re going to get there and whether we have the money to get there.”
As part of the deal outlined, union employees will see an average $4.50 hourly wage increase across four years, with some members getting as much as a $7 per hour hike — in what Pastrich called “life-changing for new hires.”
That means the $62,000 starting rate will jump to $71,000 by the end of the current contract in 2030.
All union members will also see a 15% pension boost starting in July, said Pastreich.
Some doorman will get more than a $7 per hour hike to their wages. Christopher Sadowski for NY PostThe tentative deal will secure healthcare benefits for its members with no premiums for sharing with family members. Additionally, the deal eliminates the proposed two-tier workforce that would have allowed lower wages for new hires.
“This agreement is a win-win, win-win,” said Howard Rothschild, president of the RAB.
“It’s a win for employers. It’s a win for the union. And most importantly, it’s a win for our employees,” he said, “And the last is a win for the residents of this great city.”
The doormen will get a boost to their pensions. Stefano Giovannini for NY PostRothschild would not say whether the preliminary deal would result in maintenance charge increases on residents of the roughly 3,300 buildings served by union doormen, porters, handymen and more.
But he said the RAB was exploring money-saving avenues to mitigate any excess burdens.
Union members will begin voting next week on whether to accept the deal, with Pastreich saying the count will be revealed May 28.
