Strike! Midtown building cleaners go on strike to protest wage cuts, insurance cancelations

Building cleaners in Midtown on Wednesday exchanged their brooms and bleach for picket signs as they went on strike to protest wage cuts, health insurance cancellations and job losses. 

Dozens of workers and supporters gathered in front of an office building at 529 Fifth Ave. to support six workers — five cleaners and a fire safety director — who are now on strike. All are members of 32BJ SEIU, the union representing property service workers in NYC. 

The striking workers said their wages were cut in half to $16 an hour and their health insurance plans were canceled in June after a new landlord took ownership of the building where they work last year. Four union security officers lost their jobs this year. 

Almost all of the workers have worked at the property for decades, according to union representatives. 

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

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

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

Wages cut to minimum wage

Fifth City Realty then ditched the previous landlord’s cleaning contractor, ABM, to work with L&J Janitorial, which the union refers to as a “low road” cleaning company, on June 3. That partnership, the union said, led to the six cleaners’ salaries getting cut almost in half to $16 per hour — the city’s minimum wage

amNew York Metro tried to contact both Empire Capital and L&J Janitorial to get more information and ask why the companies made the labor decisions but did not get a response from either entity. 

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

Meanwhile, the union filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge on Monday with the National Labor Relations Board to challenge their employer’s alleged refusal to bargain with the workers. 

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

“We stand with the brave workers at 529 5th Avenue and will fight to defend their rights,” Johnston said. “We call on L&J Janitorial to meet with the workers and their union and to begin the negotiation process, as mandated under the national Labor Relations Act. We can’t let contractors like L&J disregard the labor rights of New Yorkers. New York is a town that defends blue collar workers.” 

Two full-time and two -part-time security officers who lost their jobs under the new landlord are demanding to be reinstated.