Lucy Cohen Blatter

Phew, the doormen are staying put. A whole nine days before their contract expired, SEIU Local 32BJ, the union representing residential building service workers in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, has reached a tentative labor agreement with the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, the group that represents property managers and building owners, avoiding a strike. The fact that both sides came to a deal so soon is a bit of a surprise; typically, negotiations go to the 11th hour.