MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — With a rally call that echoed along Park Avenue, union building workers have authorized a strike if a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached.
They work the doors, organize packages and keep the homes going for thousands of buildings around the city.
Thousands of unionized New York City building workers are rallying tonight as their contract deadline approaches.
They are rallying along Park Avenue to send a message to negotiators and the city. It’s closed from 79th Street to 83rd Street.
In a voice vote with strike captains standing by, members voted on whether to grant the negotiating committee the power to call a walkout if a deal isn’t reached.
More negotiations are planned this week and into the weekend. But the sides remain far apart, they say.
More than 34,000 workers, including doormen, porters, and supers, could walk off the job as soon as Tuesday. The current contract expires at midnight Monday without an agreement.
In 2022, it also went down to the wire. But agreements were reached within hours of a strike. There was a 12-day strike in the 1990s.
Workers say this fight is about keeping up with the rising cost of living, demanding higher wages, stronger health care protections, and better retirement benefits.
The union says thousands of workers show up every day at more than 3,500 buildings.
Source: pix11.com
