New York City Doorman Strike Averted

Union for New York City’s doormen, handymen gets contract, averts strike  

Service Employees International Union 32 BJ, or SEIU 32BJ, agreed to a tentative four-year deal that includes a 11.3% raise for doormen and handymen who work in residential buildings.

BY GINGER ADAMS OTIS 

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

 

Published: Friday, April 11, 2014, 4:27 PM

 

Updated: Friday, April 11, 2014, 6:47 PM

  

The union representing doormen and handymen reached a tentative agreement Friday with the Realty Advisory Board, averting a possible strike that would have affected thousands of city residents.

Service Employees International Union 32 BJ agreed to a four-year deal that includes a 11.3% raise for doormen, supers, handymen and porters who work in residential buildings.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/union-nyc-doormen-handymen-won-strike-article-1.1753726#ixzz2yyZnCBe3









 

Sneak PEEK at Midtown West's newest LEED certified Luxury Rental Bldg

They named this building after me ;)

1 Month Free on Spacious 1 Bedroom in Heart of Midtown w/ Large Walk-In Closet, Open Kitchen, Bamboo Floors, and No Fee

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Home to Crystal Green, The latest residence by Glenwood, the name responsible for the finest rental residences in New York City.

Crystal Green offers incomparable luxury and service throughout its residences and common areas.

Enjoy an array of amenities that are an extension of your home.

Conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan, you are in an oasis in the center of a bustling neighborhood.

Much More Than Just ‘Maintenance’

Much More Than Just "Maintenance'

By JIM RENDON

Published: January 12, 2012

 

In New York, the cost of a co-op or condo can seem an impossible hurdle. But alongside the asking price is another figure that can induce sticker shock: the monthly maintenance fee — or, as it’s called in condos, the common charge.

The fee can range from a few hundred dollars a month, for a small condo, to many thousands for an exclusive co-op. And as millions of owners have discovered, it almost never goes down and rarely stays flat. Often, the increases happen yearly.
Potential buyers should be concerned about the fee, not only because it is real money paid out of pocket every month, but because it has a direct impact on property value.

“The market rewards low maintenance and punishes high maintenance,” said Roberta Axelrod, the director of residential sales and rentals for the real estate firm Time Equities, who sits on 10 co-op boards. Apartments with low monthly charges tend to sell for more, and those with higher fees for less. That is not to say that buildings are doing away with amenities. In fact, new condo projects tend to be full of perks like exercise rooms, screening rooms, children’s play areas and even indoor pools. Yet all of these things add expense.

Read the full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/realestate/getting-started-much-more-than-just-maintenance.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=realestate

Calculating the correct tipping scale for your doorman and building staff may not be as simple as tipping your waiter or hairdresser...

NYC doorman

Happy Holidays!

In recent years, New Yorkers fortunate enough to indulge worries over domestic compensation have been besieged with more and more advice and debate every December — from newspapers, magazines, parenting blogs, real estate blogs, on how much to tip the people who take care of our children, open our doors, adjust our radiators, park our Priuses. And yet there is little to suggest that this mountain of charts and bullet points has eased the tension. What economists cite as the vexing information asymmetries central to these transactions appear to have been rectified hardly at all.

Read the Full story here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/nyregion/did-you-give-the-doorman-enough.html?ref=realestate

Doormen and Owners Reach Agreement, Strike Averted -- Daily Intel

Doormen and Owners Reach Agreement, Strike Averted -- Daily Intel

New York Doorman Strike May Make Trash Men of Luxury Residents - BusinessWeek

New York Doorman Strike May Make Trash Men of Luxury Residents - BusinessWeek

New York City is approximately 13 hrs away from a possible doorman strike if the union cannot reach an agreement with the city's apartment building owners.  Porters, supers, elevator operators, and handymen are also prepared to strike as well.  Managing agents, co-op boards and the like are scrambling to put together a contingency plan in the event of a walk-out.
These people are hardworking and the silent keepers of the gate. As a broker, I can  attest that if you get on the building staff's wrong side, they can keep you out of that gate. I've always advised new agents, that a little bit of courtesy  and respect goes a long way when interacting with building staff. I've developed relationships over the years with many buildings.
I know how hard these people work, including my own building staff to keep things running smoothly. Hopefully a fair agreement can be reached.


New York City: A Taste of The Big Apple $250 Reservation Deposit (Google Affiliate Ad)

Leave It With the (Virtual) Doorman - New York Times

Leave It With the (Virtual) Doorman - New York Times

What do you think about this? On one hand the person who's self-sufficient or very private would probably see it as a plus...but the person who needs the sense of security felt by having someone downstairs may not feel it's enough.

Do you think this will take off and perhaps replace the traditional doorman?