“32. BJ!” “32. BJ!”
The rallying cries from Bronx building service workers of 32BJ SEIU reverberated from the top of the Bronx Supreme Court steps throughout the Concourse neighborhood Wednesday evening, as workers made it known that they intend to strike if they do not receive a fair contract from Bronx Realty Advisory Board (BRAB) by next week.
Shirley Aldebol, 32BJ executive vice president and director of the Bronx Residential Division, told the Bronx Times that three bargaining sessions remain between 2000-plus Bronx residential building workers — a workforce that includes thousands of door attendants, superintendents and porters — and BRAB before their current contract, which was collective bargained before the pandemic in 2019, expires at midnight on March 14.
When Aldebol asked a sea of purple and gold union members, battling windy and frigid temperatures Wednesday, if they were willing to strike next week — and also mobilize their individual building workers and tenants if a new contract was not reached by next week’s deadline — the answer was an emphatic yes.
“I’m hoping that (BRAB) sees that the workers are serious about preserving their benefits which is vital. But also that they need to be respected, that they should be paid for the work that they do and sacrifices they made during COVID,” said Aldebol. “It’s disrespectful for them to say ‘we appreciate what you did during COVID’ but we’re not going to pay you or maintain your health benefits.”
The current contract covers 1,404 workers at 433 co-ops, condos and apartment buildings. But the negotiations also impact 374 buildings and 950 other workers who are covered by a linked “Bronx Master Independent Agreement.” A further 87 buildings and 358 members are covered by separate contracts that are indirectly impacted, according to 32BJ SEIU.
A major sticking point in negotiations, according to workers, are proposals to reduce the scope of their health…
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