NYC Building Workers Vote to Strike Over Wages, Healthcare

Thousands of unionized doormen, handymen, and building staff authorize walkout starting Tuesday if contract demands not met

Apr. 15, 2026 at 10:36pm

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a collection of premium, polished objects representing the tools and materials used by building service workers, including a sturdy work glove, a metal key ring, a cleaning spray bottle, and a hard hat, arranged elegantly on a clean, monochromatic background and using dramatic lighting to symbolize the importance of their labor.As New York City building workers prepare to strike over wages and healthcare, this still life captures the tools of their essential trade.NYC Today

Thousands of unionized building service workers in New York City, including doormen, handymen, porters, and superintendents, voted to authorize a strike starting Tuesday if an agreement is not reached with building owners over wages, healthcare, and pensions. The 34,000 workers who maintain 3,500 Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island co-ops, condos, and apartment buildings are at odds with the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations over proposed cuts to worker healthcare benefits.

Why it matters

A strike by these essential building workers could significantly disrupt the daily lives of over 1.5 million New York City residents who rely on their services. The dispute highlights the challenges facing low-wage workers in the city's booming real estate industry, where building owners are seeking to cut costs even as rents reach record highs.

The details

The workers, represented by the 32BJ Service Employees International Union, rallied on Park Avenue on Wednesday to vote on authorizing the strike. Union president Manny Pastreich said the workers will walk off the job on Tuesday morning if a new contract is not reached by the Monday night expiration of the current agreement. The union is opposing the Realty Advisory Board's proposals to shift healthcare costs onto the workers.

  • The current contract expires on Monday, April 21, 2026.
  • The workers voted to authorize a strike on Wednesday, April 16, 2026.
  • The strike is set to begin on Tuesday, April 22, 2026 if a new contract is not reached.

The players

Manny Pastreich

President of the 32BJ Service Employees International Union, which represents the building service workers.

Derbet King

A 61-year-old building superintendent from Queens who has been in the union for 32 years and has raised his family on his union job and healthcare benefits.

Erica Kardelky

A 35-year-old Brooklyn concierge who is calling for decent healthcare, protection of benefits, and higher wages as the cost of living has risen.

Pamela Murray

A 37-year-old Manhattan porter who lives in Queens and says the workers do the 'dirty work' and need fair wages and benefits to make ends meet.

Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations

The organization representing building owners that has proposed shifting healthcare costs onto the workers, sparking the contract dispute.

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What they’re saying

“We feel very, very confident that the building owners, the co-ops and the condos can do what's basic for the folks that take care of them every day.”

— Manny Pastreich, President, 32BJ Service Employees International Union

“This is our living. I been in the union 32 years. I've raised an entire family on this job and with this healthcare — and we're not giving it back.”

— Derbet King, Building Superintendent

“We need decent healthcare, to protect our benefits and raise our wages. It's gotten more difficult over the last few years. Prices have gone up on everything. If we can't come to a fair agreement, we're ready to strike.”

— Erica Kardelky, Concierge

“The way the cost of living is rising, our wages and benefits aren't matching. We have to get second jobs to make ends meet. All we want is what's fair. The kind of work we do is important. We do the dirty work. When nobody goes to work, we still do.”

— Pamela Murray, Porter

What’s next

If a new contract is not reached by Monday night, the 34,000 building service workers represented by 32BJ SEIU will go on strike starting Tuesday morning, April 22, 2026.

The takeaway

This labor dispute highlights the growing divide between the booming real estate industry in New York City and the essential workers who maintain the buildings and homes of over 1.5 million residents. The workers are fighting to protect their healthcare benefits and secure fair wage increases to keep up with the rising cost of living, underscoring the challenges facing low-wage workers in the city's thriving economy.