City's Doormen Move Closer To Strike

Thousands of city doormen and apartment building workers moved one step closer to walking off the job Thursday. Manhattan members of 32BJ cast a unanimous vote, giving the bargaining committee the authority to call a strike if the union can't reach a contract agreement by an April 20th deadline. Members in Brooklyn and Queens have already given the okay to the job action. Local 32BJ is the largest private sector union in the city, representing some 30,000 workers. It began negotiations with the Realty Advisory Board back on March 9th. Workers say they're looking for wage increases and better benefits to keep up with the rising cost of living. "It's like everything else. Transit goes up. The cost of living goes up. And we want a raise also. We need to keep our benefits. Our health insurance. The standard of living, just living in New York, it's tough. It's tough for everybody. No one wants to strike but we also have families and rent and stuff to take care of," said 32BJ member James Carrasquillo. The current contract covers doormen, superintendents, resident managers, and other building workers. The Realty Advisory Board says building owners are prepared for a strike just in case. The last time the union went on a strike was 1991.