Hold your own door.
Thousands of Big Apple doormen, porters and superintendents voted to strike Wednesday in a move that could “paralyze” the posh lifestyle of millions of New Yorkers.
The 32BJ SEIU building service workers union rallied at Park Avenue and 79th Street to pledge their intent to walk out of some 3,300 residential buildings on Tuesday if the Realty Advisory Board On Labor Relations doesn’t deliver wage hikes, better pensions, and for health care to continue to be covered at 100%.
Members 32BJ SEIU building service workers union attending a rally on Park Avenue after the union voted to strike on April 15, 2026. AP“We know one thing: that these building owners, these billion-dollar corporations, want to take away your health care,” Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ SEIU, told an impassioned crowd.
“They want to weaken us by creating a two-tier wage system,” Pastreich said. “They think they can break the union. They believe they can crush us. They think they can destroy us.”
“We’re not going to let that happen … No to poverty, no to discrimination and no to disrespect. We say no to corporate greed. We say no to premium sharing. We will not be divided. When we stand together, we win together.”
The union voted to authorize a strike upon the contract’s April 20 expiration — meaning thousands of doormen, porters, handymen and more will walk off the job until they are promised better working benefits.
The union has been working on negotiations for nearly a year, according to Pastreich, with a major point of concern stemming from the skyrocketing cost of living in the Big Apple.
Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ SEIU, told the crowd the union won’t let “billion-dollar corporations” take their health care or break the union. Erik Pendzich/ShutterstockManhattan’s median rent has hit $5,000 a month, while vacancy rates are at historic lows, making for a booming residential real estate market — all while the RAB refuses to agree to fair wage and pension improvements, the union claims.
The average doorman makes $62,000 per year, not including benefits and gratuities, according to the RAB.
“Everything went up — gas, travel, food. It’s all on us. We want our fair share. We want what we deserve. We deserve to be taken care of,” said Anthony Guzowski, who has worked in maintenance at the Glenoaks Village in Queens for over two decades.
The 32BJ SEIU union vowed to walk out of over 3,300 residential building in the city. APHis co-worker Matt Sadowsky, 41, expressed concern about losing insurance for his wife and 19-month-old daughter under the RAB’s proposal, which would shift the cost of health insurance onto its workers.
Right now, 32BJ members pay zero in premiums.
“If we have a strike, I’m ready, but I definitely don’t want it to come to that,” he said.
Mayor Mamdani speaking at the doorman union rally. Erik Pendzich/ShutterstockCharles Vega, a 33-year-old Park Avenue doorman of nearly 15 years, called the insurance dilemma a hard line for the union.
“When it comes to premium sharing, it’s just not something that we’re willing to give up,” Vega said flatly. “Why would we? It’s something that we’ve had for so long,”
Vega said his wife suffers from medical issues and relies on his plan.
Park Avenue doorman Charles Vega (right) said the union won’t cave on the health care issue. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post“For her to not have to worry about that, it’s like a blessing,” he said. “It’s not something that you maybe see every day, but the reality is it’s a special thing and we want to keep that.”
Juan Roa, 60, who has worked as a doorman for a Lenox Hill building for nine years, told The Post that “Everybody is worried. We need health benefits, insurance. The money isn’t enough. It’s never enough.”
A strike by the union would affect roughly 3,300 residential buildings and the 1.5 million residents who rely on the workers to facilitate package deliveries, clean communal spaces, fix their ACs and act as security.
32BJ is seeking a wage increase to keep up with inflation, along with better pension benefits and continued health care coverage at 100%.
Some 34,000 workers would walk off if the union’s demands aren’t met by the union contract’s April 20 expiration.
Some buildings are already warning residents about potential chaos from the looming strike — with several management companies using multi-page pamphlets to ask tenants to “reduce” laundry room use and keep deliveries to a “minimum.”
Kaled Management Corp. warned residents that the building’s bicycle and storage rooms would be locked, that they would be required to take out their own trash — and that move-ins or move-outs would be banned during a strike.
32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich. Courtesy of 32BJ SEIUMayor Zohran Mamdani, City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams were among the elected supporters who appeared at the rally, with the mayor claiming “solidarity” with the striking workers.
“This will always be a town that is union strong and that means that we fight for good jobs. That means that we stand with our neighbors when wages and benefits are on the line. That means that we believe in a New York City where those who work here can afford to live here,” said Mamdani.
“New York City will stand with you every step of the way, because in the words of Samuel Gompers, ‘You can’t do it unless you organize.’ And I am excited to stand with you as we demonstrate the power of an organized 32BJ.”
Howard Rothschild, president of the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, said the residential real estate industry is facing pressures including soaring costs, “overregulation” and a likely freeze on rents in rent-controlled buildings.
“Without meaningful movement to address costs, including healthcare contributions and the establishment of a Tier II structure, the long-term sustainability of the industry and its workforce is at risk,” Rothschild said. “Now is the time for both sides to come together and negotiate a contract that reflects these realities and supports a viable path forward.”
Negotiations will continue through Monday at midnight.






