As doormen and porters prepare for strike, NYC luxury condo labor dispute divides Cuomo backers

A dozen building workers at a luxury condo tower in the Financial District, where units sell for up to $20 million, have said they are preparing for a rare strike after months of failed negotiations with the developer-controlled board.

Doormen and porters at the 3-year-old 130 William joined the 32BJ labor union in 2023 and began advocating for the union’s standard contract, which guarantees a higher pay rate, health insurance and contributions to a pension plan at more than 3,000 other residential buildings across the city.

“We’re not asking for anything crazy. It’s the base standard that other buildings represented by this union have,” said Danny Gutierrez, who has worked at the building for the past eight months. “It seems like a no-brainer for them to give us a fair contract.”

Gutierrez and his colleagues said they may go on strike as early as Thursday if the board and developer Lightstone Real Estate Partners don’t agree to the new contract. It would be an unusual stoppage at a single building organized by the influential 32BJ union. There were two such strikes last year, a union spokesperson said.

The dispute also reveals strange bedfellows in the race for New York City mayor. Campaign finance records show Lightstone contributed $100,000 to the SuperPAC backing Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral bid, just weeks before 32BJ formally endorsed the former governor in the Democratic primary.

When asked for comment on the dispute between Cuomo’s two benefactors, his campaign referred questions to his SuperPAC, Fix the City.

Workers at 130 William, an 800-foot tower with a textured concrete facade featuring hundreds of arches, said they earn as low as $21 an hour — higher than the city’s minimum wage, but less than employees at other buildings organized by 32BJ.

Gutierrez said his main concerns are healthcare for his family and savings for his retirement. He said he still receives health insurance through Medicaid because the insurance plan now offered by the building’s condo board charges deductibles too high for him to afford. And he said he lives in a “cramped” Astoria apartment with his parents, sister and nephew and is eager for a contract that includes a pension and 401k contributions.

“For the first time in my life I’ll be able to plan for my future,” Gutierrez said.

But the seven-member condo board, composed of two residents and five representatives picked by Lightstone, has so far rejected the terms of the contract.

Board spokesperson Edmund Tagliaferri said Lightstone and the condo board are waiting for the composition of the board to change. On June 4, residents will take over two of the seats now controlled by Lightstone.

“The board felt it was best to allow the new board, controlled by the building’s residents, to decide this matter,” Tagliaferri said.

Residents appeared to back the workers who their building relies on for day-to-day operations. Owners of more than half the units in the 66-story tower signed a letter expressing their support for the union contract, according to a copy of the letter and list of signatories shared with Gothamist.

“You support the people who support you,” resident Elana Spinner said outside the building Tuesday afternoon. “They do everything. They take care of the building you live in. Come on.”

Personal trainer Will Chan, who owns a one-bedroom condo, said he agreed.

“They take care of your mail. They make sure the elevators are running smoothly. And they definitely make sure you feel safe because they make sure everyone coming in is going where they’re supposed to go,” said Chan, who moved into the building when it opened in 2022.

As to what the labor dispute may portend for a potential Cuomo mayoralty, both 32BJ and Fix the City said the former governor, who leads polls ahead of the June primary, will benefit both sides.

Fix the City spokesperson Liz Benjamin said Cuomo is “best positioned to serve the people of New York City.”

“A contribution to Fix the City helps make that a reality,” she added. The SuperPAC is larded with real estate contributions, including at least $410,000 from companies and executives currently being sued by the city’s housing agency.

A 32BJ spokesperson referred to a statement from president Manny Pastreich that was included in the union’s endorsement of Cuomo last month.

Cuomo, Pastreich wrote, is “someone who has shown they are with 32BJ members and will continue to be.”