Contract talks between 32BJ SEIU and the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations (RAB) are reportedly off to a cordial start. The union is meeting with the group that represents residential building owners to negotiate a new agreement for more than 34,000 building service workers whose current contract ends on April 20.
On March 5, negotiations began to cover the contracts for the porters, doorpersons, handypersons, superintendents, and resident managers who maintain thousands of apartments in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Both labor and management see these talks as important now, when rising housing costs, inflation, healthcare concerns, retirement security, and workforce stability have become top affordability issues.
The last four-year industry-wide contract for the union was ratified in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It guaranteed fully employer-paid family healthcare, pension benefits, paid leave, and job training.
“Every day, New Yorkers depend on 32BJ members for the most important part of their lives: their homes,” said Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ SEIU. “In a city that is often chaotic, our members work hard to make sure residents are safe, and their homes are clean and comfortable. They are a trusted resource in times of crisis, be it the recent snowstorms or the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, our members are fighting for the fair contract they need and deserve.” As the cost-of-living crisis worsens, Pastreich said, workers want to fight for a contract that preserves these protections.
Maria Silva, a doorperson at a downtown Brooklyn apartment building, said rising costs in New York forced her to move to New Jersey several years ago. She said she wants the next contract to make it possible for working families to remain in New York City.
RAB emphasized its long history of bargaining with the union; the building owners’ organization was formed in response to the 1934 32BJ elevator operator strike, which affected 400 buildings in what was then Manhattan’s garment district. The last residential building strike occurred in 1991.
RAB also said it wants to reach a mutually agreeable agreement without labor disruption. In a statement, Howard Rothschild, president of RAB, said the first bargaining session was productive and part of a process that has supported middle‑class jobs for decades.
“Last week, we held our first negotiation session with 32BJ and we look forward to continued productive meetings that will result in a fair and mutually agreeable resolution for both sides,” Rothschild said. “Over the next 42 days, the union and industry must come together to negotiate a contract that will provide for a sustainable future of the industry.”
RAB has long argued that rising operational costs — such as insurance, utilities, and maintenance — must be balanced against workers’ demands. Industry representatives note that the average doorperson or porter earns approximately $62,000 annually, while total employer costs exceed $112,000 once benefits are included. For handypersons, total costs exceed $119,000, according to RAB figures.
Union members say those figures don’t take into account the rent, food, transit, and utility costs 32BJ workers have to pay to be able to live near their jobs. Donald McCaffrey, a porter in Jackson Heights and member of the bargaining committee, said one of the issues most important to him is comprehensive health care. He is living with chronic health issues, and the union contract has made regular medical testing possible, he said. “I need that covered — it would be too expensive to pay out of pocket.”
Derbert King, a Queens building superintendent and bargaining committee member, told the Amsterdam News that the negotiations will take place in stages. The first round of meetings focuses on exchanging proposals rather than debating numbers. “We really don’t get down to any ingredients until the third meeting,” King said, explaining that the union presented its priorities first, with management expected to respond later this month before substantive bargaining begins.
King, who has participated in four contract negotiations, described this round as the most crucial yet. He pointed to soaring living costs and the importance of preserving fully employer‑paid health coverage and strengthening pensions. But he’s expecting RAB’s representatives to give some pushback: “We have it in every contract,” he said. “They have their conceptions of inflation and things of that nature, and we have ours, so it’s three sides to every story: our side, their side, and then what’s the facts? … we presented our proposal yesterday, they’re going to present their proposal [at] the next meeting, and at that point, we both do our research to find out where the facts are. From that point, you go from the facts and then you start negotiations.”
King added that “I think this is going to be the most crucial contract negotiation that I’ve ever done … I think this is going to be the most crucial one because of the facts. Health care is number one. We have 100% health care, which we don’t pay into our premium on our health care, and we’re going to fight to keep that. Also, you have the cost of living: Cost of living has [gone] up dramatically, so we’re going to be pushing for a raise that reflects that cost of living.”