NYC residential building workers set to authorize strike, which might start Monday

Tens of thousands of doormen and other New York City residential building workers will hold a strike authorization vote Wednesday. 

More than 34,000 building employees are members of the 32BJ union, which will hold a rally on the Upper East Side this afternoon after the vote. 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to attend the rally and will deliver remarks, along with City Council Speaker Julie Menin. 

Union leaders are looking for increased pay, stronger health care protection and better retirement benefits for the doormen, supers, porters and other residential building workers citywide that they represent. 

The contract is set to expire Monday, and a strike could follow. 

"Today, we are having 10,000 of our members are coming together on Park Avenue in the residential canyon of where so many of our members work ... to take a strike authorization vote so our members can be ready to say that they will strike if we don't come to a contract agreement on April 20th," 32BJ president Manny Pastreich said. 

"The New York City residential real estate industry is facing mounting pressures, including the likelihood of 0% rent increases on stabilized units for years to come, overregulation, and rising operating costs. Without meaningful movement to address costs ... the long-term sustainability of the industry and its workforce is at risk," Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations president Howard Rothschild said in a statement. 

Some 1.5 million New York City residents would be impacted if the strike goes forward.