The building workers’ contract expires April 20th, and although collective bargaining negotiations have produced no undue cause for alarm yet, the Council of New York Cooperatives & Condominiums is holding a strike-prep workshop tomorrow evening.
Two executives of the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations—which represents NYC buildings in the contract talks—will dispense advice.
RAB president Howard Rothschild gave BrickUnderground this five-point preview:
1. If your building has doormen or lobby attendants, now is the time to line up security guards, which usually means paying one day’s wages payable in advance.
2. Top off your building's fuel supply, and if your building has a streetside fuel cap, make sure it’s secured.
“It hasn’t happened widely, but if there is a picket line on the sidewalk they could open the cap and put a contaminant in, like sugar,” says Rothschild, who notes that picketer-resident relations are usually fairly amiable.
3. Make sure everything works: Oil burners, roof tanks, HVAC, water pumps, video systems, etc.
4. Recruit volunteers to stand at the front door or sort mail if a building worker usually does this stuff. If your building has a manual elevator, a few residents should get advanced training or it’s stairsville for everyone.
5. Vandalism is a possibility in any labor walk-out, so check to make sure your building’s insurance coverage is primed in advance.
BrickUnderground's Strike Coverage:
Threat of strike diminishing amid "significant progress"
Insider's guide to the un-doormanned life
Predicting a strike: This time is different
NYC doormen to rally on UES tomorrow
Don't look for me on the picket line
Going rogue: Hitting the panic button in a strike
Relax, N.Y.: Doorman strike vote is just part of the 'dance'
Doormen can't make ends meet, but the Mets tickets and golf outings are nice
