A tentative agreement was announced the afternoon of Sept. 30 between 32BJ SEIU and the Building & Realty Institute of Westchester & the Mid-Hudson Region (BRI) that averts a strike that had been threatened by 1,400 workers at residential buildings in the Hudson Valley region. The union had taken a strike vote on Sept. 20.
The agreement is subject to ratification by the union membership.
According to the announcement, the tentative agreement includes a 15.71% wage increase over four years, protection of 100% employer-paid health care, protection of full time jobs and overtime, pension improvements and other elements.
“The property owners, managing agents, co-op shareholders, and condo residents who make up the BRI appreciate the essential and hard-working men and women who staff residential buildings throughout the Hudson Valley,” said Tim Foley, CEO of BRI. “We are very glad to have reached an agreement that maintains their benefits and delivers the highest annual wage increases since our contract began, but structured in such a way as to make it affordable and sustainable for middle-class residents being squeezed by higher energy, utilities, insurance, and building supplies costs. We respect our workers for their exceptional performance during the difficult circumstances caused by the pandemic and the effort they put in every day to keep the residents who rely on them safe, and look forward to continuing our partnership to keep New Yorkers in housing that is secure, dignified, and affordable.”
32BJ President Kyle Bragg said,“Hudson Valley workers exercised their power and have now won a phenomenal agreement. Not only have they won excellent wage and pension increases to keep up with the rising cost of living, but this tentative agreement crucially protects their great employer-paid health care while maintaining the integrity of their bargaining unit.”
32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country with more than 175,000 members in 12 states and Washington D.C.
