New York City Office Cleaners Win New Contract with Significant Wage Hikes and Pension Improvements

New York, NY- The Local 32BJ Bargaining Committee today announced tentative agreement on a new $6.8 billion contract for 26,000 commercial property service workers in New York City that provides more than 16% in pay increases over the life of the contract, improves the pension benefit for the first time in four years and maintains fully employer-paid family health care coverage. 

"We achieved our goal to secure real raises that will help hard working cleaners continue to live in the city where they work," said Michael Fishman, Local 32BJ President.  "Further, we've made an unprecedented improvement to our defined benefit pension plan, at a time when most workers are seeing their pensions decreased or eliminated."

The tentative agreement will provide $4.6 billion in wages over four years.  The average wage for cleaners will go from $19.50 to $22.65 per hour by the beginning of the fourth year of the contract.  Further, the contract improves members' pension benefits by raising the employers' annual contribution by more than 40% over the life of the agreement.  This will raise the monthly pension cap over time from $1250 to $1400.

The contract with the Realty Advisory Board (RAB) was reached on December 29th, two days before the expiration, and averted a strike of 26,000 commercial workers in approximately 1,500 buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.  The tentative contract must be ratified by the union membership and the RAB's Board of Directors.

The contract announcement in New York City comes on the heels of successful settlements throughout the region.  Local 32BJ launched a campaign in September to make work pay for 50,000 commercial workers in six states and Washington, DC.  Agreements that significantly improve wage and benefit standards have been reached in Philadelphia, Hartford, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Montgomery County, New Jersey, Westchester and Fairfield County.

"Up and down the East Coast, Local 32BJ is raising standards for working people - from creating more full time hours in New Jersey and Connecticut to securing major wage hikes for cleaners in Washington," Fishman said.  "At a time when workers are getting squeezed, our union is making real gains for property service workers that will help working families get ahead."

Representing 100,000 members, including 60,000 in New York City, Local 32BJ is the largest property services union in the country.