Workers Protest 'Shameful' Midtown Building Cleaner Layoffs

MIDTOWN, NY — A property group that spent almost $27 million to buy a 19-story office building in Midtown apparently had nothing leftover to keep their staff of six cleaning workers, according to their union.

The six workers at 6 East 45th Street, including Michael Delecce, a father of two who worked at the building for 19 years, reportedly received only a single day of notice prior to their firing on Sept. 8.

“I have busted my ass every day of my life,” Delecce said. He said his 12-year-old daughter has a surgery scheduled for November but now fears he might have to take on medical debt without his health insurance.

"Society tells us that if you work hard, you can get by and support your family," he said. "But now a new owner wants to come in to make some extra money and to make us struggle. That’s not right.”

His union, 32BJ, fellow workers and several local elected officials agreed and held a rally outside of the building on Thursday to demand that the new owners rehire the longtime workers.

“I proudly stand with the 32BJ members who have worked for years at 6 E 45th Street,” said State Senator Liz Krueger. “Cost-cutting on the backs of essential workers, whose decades of labor have been critical to the functioning of this building, is a race to the bottom that nobody wins. Let’s get these workers back to work, and their families back on their feet.”

City Council Member and majority leader Keith Powers called the firing "shameful," and urged the new owners to "immediately" rehire the workers.

“After decades of hard work, a group of commercial cleaners were abruptly fired after their building was bought by a new property owner. No notice was provided, no reason was given, and no support was offered," Powers said. "These workers deserve justice.”

One worker said the building showed a "disregard for us."

“I depend on this job to support my 1-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son," said said Vincent Gamboli, who has worked at the building for seven years. "My wife’s salary as a school teacher and my salary as a cleaner are just enough to get by."

The building's cleaning super for 16 years, Toni Surgouski, said the new owners were throwing their lives into "chaos to make a few extra dollars."

“This is an egregious action by the new building owner. By firing long-time incumbent workers they are undermining good jobs with good health benefits that hard-working New Yorkers depend on,” said 32BJ Executive Vice President Denis Johnston.

The new owners, the Sioni Group, have at least eight Midtown properties in their portfolio, according to their website. Patch was unable to reach them for comment.

"It is ludicrous that the Sioni Group can spend almost $27 billion to buy a building, and then claim they have to save money off the backs of the people who have kept that building running for decades," said Assembly Member Tony Simone.