Opinion: Defending NYC’s Blue Collar COVID-19 Recovery

“We can’t let billionaires disregard the labor standards that generations of New Yorkers have fought to establish.”

For over 90 years, 32BJ SEIU, where I serve as secretary-treasurer, has seen how, when building service workers are treated with respect and industry standards are upheld, tenants and building owners benefit.

Investing in a skilled, trustworthy and professional building maintenance workforce is a successful business practice that 95 percent of the New York City commercial real estate industry follows.

In December of last year, thousands of New York City commercial cleaners marched up Sixth Avenue in their campaign for a fair new contract with the Realty Advisory Board covering 20,000 unionized cleaners. After risking their lives and the lives of their families during the height of COVID-19, and providing for a safe re-opening of the city’s offices, universities and cultural landmarks, they won a great new contract that sets the industry standard for cleaners across New York City. 

This includes fair wages of $30/hour, quality comprehensive family health insurance, a pension and protections on the job. In short, a pathway to the middle class. What they won is the official “prevailing wage,” which set the standard for a new contract in June covering an additional 5,000 New York City school cleaners and handypersons who keep students safe and the community institutions operating.

These are hard-fought standards that we have to tirelessly defend. Right now, they’re under attack by alleged real estate profiteers in Manhattan.

Namdar Realty—dubbed a “billionaire bottom feeder” by Bloomberg—and its partner Empire Capital are undermining industry labor standards by hiring an irresponsible cleaning contractor that has slashed wages for longtime New York City cleaners by almost 50 percent and eliminated critical medical benefits for working families. This transpired at the Diamond District office building 529 5th Ave., where essential workers went out on strike to protest an alleged violation of federal labor law by the new contractor, L&J Janitorial. 

At another building, 345 7th Ave., Namdar refused to sign onto industry standards, forcing workers to work under an expired labor contract since January. That building is now facing foreclosure after workers complained of understaffing and leasing fell from 59 percent at the time of Namdar’s 2021 acquisition to 43 percent in September 2023, according to Commercial Observer.

If we don’t stop them, it won’t stop there. That’s why our union members have been in the streets protesting at Namdar and Empire buildings every week, to raise awareness about the attack on New York City’s pathway to the middle class.

But rather than commit to a friendly relationship with the New York City community, Namdar Realty’s CEO went on national TV in June to boast about his profits. We can’t let billionaires disregard the labor standards that generations of New Yorkers have fought to establish. New York is a town that defends blue collar workers. It’s not a place that allows companies to make profits by transforming good-paying union jobs into poverty-wage positions.

We can’t leave blue collar New Yorkers behind, particularly at a time like this, when the future of a post-COVID-19 New York City is being established. Blue collar New Yorkers of color suffered the most and recovered the slowest from the pandemic. We need to do everything we can, as a community, to address this inequality.

That’s why I’m writing with a clear message for Namdar Realty: play by the rules, respect workers. Otherwise, you’ll continue to see us in the streets.

John Santos is secretary-treasurer and director of the New York Metro District of 32BJ SEIU, is the largest property services union in the country.