UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Thousands of unionized doormen and building workers marched on Park Avenue from 79th Street to 83rd Street on Wednesday after voting to authorize a strike.
The union, 32BJ SEIU, could call a strike as early as April 21, when the current contract with the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations expires at midnight on April 20.
The union, which marched alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani, represents more than 34,000 door attendants citywide.
"Today, we took over Park Avenue with our allies, including Mayor Mamdani, with a clear message: we are united and 10,000 strong in our demand for a fair union contract," 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said.
Union members — including door attendants, porters and building supers — are pushing for higher wages, improved pensions and protections for healthcare benefits.
They are also opposing proposals they say would shift healthcare costs onto workers and introduce a two-tier workforce system.
"While the residential real estate industry is booming, working New Yorkers are fighting to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living. Our members are essential to this industry and to New York City," Pastreich said.
If a strike is called, it could impact services across roughly 3,500 residential buildings citywide, including trash removal, maintenance, package handling and front desk operations, Pastreich said.
The contract covers about 34,000 workers, spanning co-ops, condos and rental buildings. Union officials note that many of those buildings are market-rate and benefiting from high rents and low vacancy rates.
Negotiations are expected to continue in the coming days, with the threat of a strike looming if an agreement is not reached before the deadline.
"I’m proud to stand with the 34,000 doormen, porters, supers and service workers who make our buildings run," Mamdani said. "Under our administration, New York is, and will always be, a union town."
For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.
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