(NEW YORK CITY) - A group of Union-represented Service Workers employed at a Financial District condo walked off the job on Wednesday (February 28th) on a short-term Strike after the building owner reduced the size of the Staff in the Bargaining Unit to the point where the understaffing allegedly hurt their ability to take meal breaks.

The decreases in staffing come amidst a four-year fight for a first-time contract.

The Workers employed at the Halstead Management condo building at 56 Pine Street won a Union Election to join 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in July 2019 and have been pushing ever since for a Collective Bargaining Agreement.

It’s the second building where residential 32BJ Workers have gone on Strike in the past in pursuit of a first contract over the past two weeks.

Service Workers in the building, where apartments are listed for over nearly one million dollars, said management has made repeated changes to their working conditions without recognizing their Union rights to bargain over them.

“They have failed to replace Workers, keeping us understaffed, making it impossible for some colleagues of mine to even take lunch breaks.  They’ve made changes to our schedules that are not fair.  They should have to bargain about that,” wrote Lead Concierge Michael Palmieri, who has worked at the building since 2007.

The Workers filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Charge earlier this week about the unilateral reduction in staffing and its ensuing impact on their breaks.

The Workers are in the process of appealing to the New York State Department of Labor to enforce basic labor rights around this issue.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Building workers walk off second Manhattan condo in two weeks in pursuit of first-time contract – LaborPress