Strike! Building cleaners in Midtown strike in protest against wage cuts and insurance terminations

Midtown building cleaners traded in their brooms and bleach for picket signs on Wednesday as they went on strike to Protest against wage cuts, health insurance cancellations and job losses.

Dozens of workers and supporters gathered outside an office building at 529 Fifth Avenue to support six workers – five cleaning workers and a fire safety supervisor – who are currently on strike. All are members of 32BJ SEIU, the union that represents real estate service providers in NYC.

The striking workers said their pay was cut in half to $16 an hour in June and their health insurance was canceled after the building they worked in last year was transferred to a new landlord. Four union security guards lost their jobs this year.

Almost all of the workers have been working at the site for decades, union representatives say.

One of the striking workers is Ardiana Pllumbaj. Like her colleagues, she is calling on L&J Janitorial, the cleaning company hired by the new building owner, to come to the negotiating table and negotiate a fair contract.

“We are striking because our new employer refuses to negotiate with our union,” said the mother of two children. “Our rights as workers must be respected. I have been a member of the 32BJ for 18 years and have never experienced such disregard for my workers’ rights.”

According to union officials, the building’s new owner, Fifth City Realty, LLC, a company affiliated with Empire Capital, made the labor decisions after purchasing the building from Silverstein Properties last year.

Wage cut to minimum wage

Fifth City Realty split from ABM, the previous landlord’s cleaning company, on June 3 and partnered with L&J Janitorial, which the union describes as a “low-level cleaning company.” That partnership, the union said, resulted in the six cleaners’ salaries being cut nearly in half, to just $16 an hour – the city’s minimum wage.

amNew York Metro attempted to contact both Empire Capital and L&J Janitorial for more information and to ask about the reasons behind the companies’ labor decisions, but did not receive a response from either entity.

According to The Real Deal, Empire Capital is led by former commercial brokers who have emerged in recent years and made a number of major acquisitions in Midtown.

Meanwhile, the union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday to challenge its employer’s alleged refusal to negotiate with workers.

Denis Johnston, director of 32BJ SEIU’s New York Metro commercial division, said the cleaners are “essential to the future of the building,” adding that L&J Janitorial has refused to negotiate with the union.

“We stand with the brave workers of 529 5th Avenue and will fight for their rights,” Johnston said. “We call on L&J Janitorial to meet with the workers and their union and begin the negotiation process as required by the National Labor Relations Act. We cannot allow contractors like L&J to disregard the labor rights of New Yorkers. New York is a city that defends workers.”

Two full-time and two part-time security guards who lost their jobs under the new landlord are demanding their reinstatement.