Building service workers reach deal cementing union's demands

Under a tentative agreement announced April 17, around 34,000 building service workers in NYC will maintain their healthcare protections and receive a $4.50 raise over the lifetime of the four-year contract. Days after a rally of over 10,000 workers with local elected leaders including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, president Manny Pastreich of Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ and Realty Advisory Board executive director Howard Rothschild appeared at a press conference together to announce the agreement, which both of them insisted is a win.  

The agreement likely staves off a strike that could have begun as early as April 21 that would have affected more than 1.5 million New Yorkers, the union said. The agreement preserves worker’s health benefits, avoids the creation of a two-tier wage structure for new hires, boosts pensions, creates a faster path for new hires to reach top pay and institutes new training on immigration rights for union members.  

Pastreich said the union clearly achieved its goals. 

“This is one of the largest agreements in New York City and its an honor, I know for our side, to be part of this and set the standard for so many people who take care of the residents of this city,” the union leader said. “This contract has meaning to the residents, and I know it has meaning to the building owners, the co-ops the condos, and I know it has meaning to the 1.5 million residents of 32BJ buildings.” 

Workers will vote to ratify the contract by mail over the course of the next month, Pastreich said at the press conference, and the union will likely know the results by the end of May. If workers don’t ratify the contract, which is unlikely, the union and RAB would be forced back to the bargaining table and a strike could be back on the table.  

The two sides reached a legion of key agreements on outstanding issues the day the tentative agreement was announced after weeks of slow progress. Just a day before the agreement was announced, the union signaled it was frustrated with the pace of bargaining, and was repeatedly threatening to strike.  

But the REB backed down on its demand to have workers' pay for part of their healthcare premiums and for new hires to have inferior benefits, allowing the two sides to reach an agreement and maintain the labor peace that has existed for 35 years. 

‘This agreement is a win win win win’ 

Rothschild said the relationship between 32BJ and the RAB is the “gold standard” of labor relations. 

“In negotiations, there’s always a give and take, this one was no different,” Rothschild said. “Ultimately both sides thought carefully about the current economic situation and how to make contract improvements that we can all be pleased with. This agreement is a win win win win.” 

Pastreich agreed on the importance of the relationship. 

“This would not be possible without the creativity, the commitment on both sides,” he said. “There was never any doubt that they wanted to do the right thing for the working people who take care of the buildings, it was just how we were gonna get there and whether we had the money to get there, and at the end of the day, we’re very proud of the creativity and commitment that the industry put in that we could get there.”