Building service workers were ready to strike
Health care was big issue in 32BJ contract
By Art Rosen
New York
Negotiations for a new labor contract between Local 32BJ of
the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing
the maintenance workers in the commercial buildings of New York
City, and the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations (RAB),
representing the building owners, were a real cliff-hanger.
With the active and enthusiastic backing of its membership,
the union threatened to strike if a satisfactory contract were
not signed before the 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1 deadline. One hour past
the deadline, the union's bargaining committee announced a
tentative contract had been reached.
The full text of the new contract along with a ratification
ballot is in the process of being mailed out to the 32BJ
membership. Tabulation of the votes for or against the contract
is scheduled to take place on Oct. 28.
Claiming a contract victory, Local 32BJ has provided its
members with a one-page summary of the contract negotiations.
It highlights the various points in dispute.
The most bitterly fought issue was the demand by the
building owners that the 32BJ workers begin to assume a part of
the cost of their own health insurance. Under the terms of the
old contract, medical benefits were fully paid by the
employers. On this point the union's bargaining committee
refused to budge. The tentative agreement that was reached,
which covers the 26,000 commercial building workers in New York
City, maintains fully-paid employee health coverage. It also
provides a 5-percent pay increase over the 3-year life of the
contract and a secure pension.
Undoubtedly, a big influence on the contract negotiations,
which had begun in earnest on Sept. 28 at the Hilton Hotel in
Manhattan, was the strike authorization vote five days earlier
that had brought out 15,000 union members of 32BJ, who then
marched across town and held a rally opposite the Empire State
Building. That splendid display of militancy and determination
was repeated a week later on Oct. 1, when 1,000 building
service workers from 32BJ descended on the Hilton Hotel and
picketed while negotiations were in progress.
These actions by the union rank and file prompted 32BJ
Executive Vice President Kevin Doyle to comment: "People are
obviously nervous. To go on strike in this day and age isn't
something that people relish. But I think there is a real sense
of determination" among the workers.
The real estate moguls of New York have not forgotten the
strike that took place in January 1996. The workers of 32BJ
stayed out for 31 days during a very snowy winter season and
tied up the city's commerce.
A matter about which several workers expressed some
misgivings was the wage freeze in the first year of the 3-year
contract.
However, health care was the main issue. According to a
press release issued by Local 32BJ, "... employers will provide
an additional $475 million in health care coverage--a
64-percent increase from the previous contract. The new
commercial con tract takes on added significance because any
agreement on health care automatically applies to Local 32BJ's
28,000 residential building service workers."
Local 32BJ President Mike Fishman said the agreement reached
with the building owners "deals a serious setback to employers
who are trying to shift the burden of health care costs to
workers."
Reprinted from the Oct. 14, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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