Fort Lee Building Service Workers Rally For Strike-Authorization Vote

FORT LEE, NJ – An estimated 82 property service workers for Horizon House in Fort Lee rallied Wednesday at the apartment complex in support of their vote to authorize a strike if a contract agreement is not reached with the employer's directorial board.

Building service workers, including porters, superintendents and handy persons, all represented by Service Employees International Union 32BJ in New York City, voted in April to give the union's negotiating committee the authority to call a strike, if it decides that is what is necessary, 32BJ communications specialist María Lanao said in a news release.

A new contract proposed by the nine-member committee includes wage increases, employer-paid healthcare, and no "givebacks," meaning, Lanao said, that the workers are not willing to give back anything previously won.

Since May this year, the union has held five negotiating sessions, Lanao said, yet the Horizon House executive board "refuses to give fair wages," only offering a "measly wage increase" of 60 cents per hour over four years. This comes out to a less-than-1% raise per year for the average employee — the average worker makes $19 per hour, she added.

“To offer a wage increase of less than 1% raise per year for the average employee is just insulting,” Kevin Brown, 32BJ Executive Vice President and NJ State Director, said. “The workers are ready and prepared to fight for a fair contract with reasonable wage increases, no premium sharing healthcare, and additional 401K contributions.”

If the workers strike, this would be the second time they would have done so to make their voices heard and their actions felt.

In January 2019, Horizon House workers struck for three days to protest what they saw as the executive board's "bad faith" negotiations. Workers reached an agreement, NorthJersey.com reported.

“At the bargaining table, I stand up tall and proud because I know I have the power of a union behind me," negotiating committee member Christopher Saperstein said. "This has brought us together and made us even stronger. I want to thank all the 32BJ members who have stood with us over the past few months.”

Horizon House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.