One of the stabilizing forces that keeps things running smoothly in New York City is the doormen and other workers in high-rise apartment buildings. Doormen let guests into the building and keep out unwanted visitors.
They also accept packages and sometimes even set groceries and dry cleaning inside residents’ apartments. They hail cabs, collect trash, keep spare keys, help with repairs, and facilitate furniture deliveries and moves. And, of course, they greet guests with a smile every day. Here’s what we know about their potential strike in April 2026.
Why were New York City doormen considering a strike?
The union that represents building workers, 32BJ SEIU, was locked in deliberations with the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations (RAB, which represents the owners and operators of New York Real Estate), in late April 2026. According to Vanity Fair, doormen were mainly asking for wage increases, pension improvements, and to put a stop to a proposal that would put more healthcare costs on workers.
RAB argued that they couldn’t afford to raise wages because of Mayor Mamdani’s promise to freeze rent on rent-stabilized apartments. The 32BJ President called this response insulting and tone deaf, as many union members are struggling to get by.
Thankfully, RAB and the union were able to make a tentative deal ahead of the deadline, according to The City. The deal is a tentative four-year agreement: wage increases will total $4.50 an hour by the end of 2030, there will be a 15% pension increase, and workers won’t have to share premiums for health benefits.
What would happen in a New York City doormen strike?
The last time New York City doormen went on strike was in 1991, and the strike lasted for 12 days, according to Vanity Fair. With no doormen to dispose of residents’ trash, so much waste piled up that the mayor at the time, David Dinkins, had to declare a public health emergency. Pests could not be fumigated, and sanitation workers wouldn’t cross picket lines to retrieve trash from apartment buildings…