New York, NY – Building service workers who had earned family sustaining wages and benefits helping to run 30 Wall Street are beginning the new year wondering what the heck just happened to their little piece of the American Dream after Colonnade Management introduced a new contractor and torpedoed their jobs.
Workers, some with a decade or more on the job, where informed through a “Dear Employee” flyer that Prime Cleaning Solutions was succeeding Delta Building Services at 30 Wall Street effective January 6, and that if they wanted to keep their jobs employees would have to be satisfied earning minimum wage and no benefits.
“Please advise us below whether you willl work for the new employer with this rate of pay with a no benefit structure,” the flyer reads. “In any event, if you stay employed, and accept our offer of employment, the rate of pay and benefit structure will be as outlined above.”
“I have a wife and a family and this means I can’t support them,” building engineer Christopher Negrinelli told LaborPress during a union demonstration held outside the tony address on Monday morning. “I can’t pay my mortgage. I can’t take my children to the doctor.”
The father of two commuted two hours each day from his home in Upstate, New York to 30 Wall Street — a trek Negrinelli said he never minded because he loved his job. Now, he’s being forced to look for a new one in an an economy where, despite rosy unemployment figures, has become rife with junk jobs offering insufficient wages and non-existent benefits.
“It’s really unfair to me and my family because he’s the one that supports us financially — without him we wouldn’t have a home,” 15-year-old Emily Negrinelli said. “I think it’s not right. They should not have done that in the first place.”
Colonnade Management has not responded to LaborPress’ requests for comment, but the practice of bringing in “bottom feeder” contractors that pay employees junk wages and benefits has become all too common. In fact, the US Department of Labor under the Trump administration, has just made it easier for companies to pull this kind of stunt, absolving themselves from the actions of their hired contractors and leaving workers high and dry.
“It just boggles my mind how they can do this to people that have been working here so long,” Rocco Ferrigno, IUOE Local 94 Downtown business representative told LaborPress. “To tell these poor guys that they’re out of work unless they want to work for $15 an hour — not even a third of what they’re making now without benefits — It doesn’t make any sense at all.”
The union is calling on Colonnade Management to discuss Prime Cleaning Solutions’ business practices.
“I haven’t slept [since learning about Prime Cleaning Solutions],” Negrinelli said. “The only thing I care about is food and shelter. I’m not looking for anything fancy. I’m looking for a home.”
21 thoughts on “Building Managers at 30 Wall Street Pull the Rug Out from Under Workers and Their Families”
Im a 94 member how can this happen what is this world coming to and where is tbe union to back these people that paid dues for years ???? Scary very scary just goes to show you not to complain about work be on time and be thankfull you have a job !!
Jason. FYI ”The Union “ ALL OUR DELEGATES And board members are at 30 Wall St and 217 Broadway M-F 7am-6pm Everyday with the support of our members to hold the line to get back 30 Wall St and our members jobs back . See you down on the line Jason To all the residents who work and live in the areas affected, I deeply apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing, this is not a job lay off. Our members were thrown out on the street after 21 years of dedicated service. How would you feel if you were thrown out of your job and replaced with someone for a third of what you were paid ? Want to help ? Support some of the same guys who keep your buildings operating safely and keeping it clean. Contact management at 30 Wall Street and let them know that that their actions are unacceptable!!
I would feel poorly if that happened to me. I also cannot imagine a world in which I would believe that HUNDREDS of innocent people should be tortured in their own homes or at work because I had bad luck. In the amount of time you’ve been out there, these people could have found new jobs. Your “apology” is insincere and I accepted.
And try supporting your family on half your salary and no heath insurance because a new company came in and said your fired you can reapply at 15 bucks an hour it’s not us it’s greedy corporate America its a German based company kicking hard working union men and woman out to hire people Making 15 an hour and no heath insurance so sorry the noise is an inconvenience but try having life as you know it changed because your income was cut in half and your health insurance gone that’s a real inconvenience but then how would you know sitting in the lap of luxury thinking we want to do this we want the right to keep our fair wages please educate yourse
Operating Engineers, Local 94 [this is all public record]
KUBA BROWN BUSINESS MGR/PRESIDENT – Annual Income: $316,044
MICHAEL GADALETA, BUSINESS REP – Annual Income: $213,630
JOHN REDDEN, BUSINESS REP – Annual Income: $212,838
THOMAS HART, BUSINESS REP Annual Income: $212,528
KELLY DRUMMOND BUSINESS REP -Annual Income: $210,936
Im in the wrong business. we don’t own this appartment – WE RENT. but somehow, according to Joann who appparetnely does not have to endure noise all day, we ‘living inthe lap of luxury’ while Kuba and others who are pounding drum make almost half million per year.
‘educate yourself’ to ur union boss fukking u out of wage. be angry at the people above, not people who live and work here.
Thomas, anyone sounding off in this comment section that isn’t a union member are behind your cause 100% and we are appalled at 30 Wall mgmt’s decision making. My partner approached some of the Local 94 members last week from a place of compassion and solidarity, just asking that they refrain from the noise amplifiers as protestors had been blaring an airhorn and whistles for 8 hours and they were met with hostility and complete indifference to the mental strain they are inflicting. You have to understand where we are coming from as residents of Wall Street.
We’re not millionaires; we’re middle class, like the Union folx fighting their jobs. Now our jobs (as many of us work remotely) are being sabotaged by some of the members noise tactics.
I personally sent emails to any contacts I could find at Columbia Properties and Colonnade Management letting them know its unjust and egregious to do what they’re doing but please remember that residents who live on this street had nothing to do with the choices made by those entities and yet we have to bear the burden.
I work around the corner and I support you 100%. Keep fighting, this is unacceptable!
You are all a bunch of c***s for disrupting all of the people who live around that building. Go inside their lobby and bang your drums and stop disrupting our lives. Your life choices are yours, not ours.
I’m a retired Local 94 worker so I feel these guys pain. Worked for 94 for over 25 years and they did right by me all the way.
I don’t understand how that company can just tell it’s entire workforce to work for $15 an hour or leave. Oh wait I understand., it’s called greed, do more for less, Show a bigger profit, who cares about the people that actually run the building.
Please support our brothers and sisters that have been shown the door.
What you’re doing to the local community is wrong and shameful. We want you to feed your families but not at the expense of the thousands who live and work on the block. 20 guys blasting air horns and vevuzulas from 8am-6pm with no break every day is a form of prison torture for local residents. I say this with peace and love: If you think the community stands with you, it doesn’t. There has to be a better way. Airhorns on blast for weeks is making residents go crazy. The owner isn’t even at the property you’re protesting in front of.
Yes, apparently the management company for 30 Wall Street is located at the building they are protesting in front of. I live in a residential apartment across the street from where they are causing a raucous. It is absolutely unacceptable that they are banging drums and tooting horns all day long. I understand they may have been let off in a harsh way, but do they not understand that people get laid off from work all the time?
While I am supportive and sympathetic to the message, blasting air horns and now car horns all day on a commercial + residential street is a form of torture. The drumming and protesting isn’t disruptive, the air horns are…from 9am to 7pm. Where do the members of Local 94 live? Can I go blast airhorns outside of their homes for 8 hours a day?
What are your aims? How can non-union members pitch in to get this resolved? I live across the street from 30 Wall Street and this is now the third week of daily protests. I’m going to have to start calling 311 and lodging noise complaints. Evan’s right, you’re alienating thousands of workers and residents with no discernible ends or goals in sight.
I’m pro-Union, I’m pro-workers rights, Bernie supporter but when your members use unnecessary noise tactics and don’t even give the public ANY indication of what you’re aiming to resolve, you’ll find more enemies than just greedy property managers.
I live in the building across the street from where you are protesting. You have made it unbearable for me to be in my own home. At first I supported you, then I tolerated you, and this past week I lost all ability to handle the noise you are making. I literally came down to you in tears because I was so stressed and upset and you were completely unfeeling. I can’t work from home. My husband cannot efficiently work from home (though he tries). Our dog, who is sensitive to sounds just paces around crying. Our neighbors’ baby can’t take her naps.
You expect compassion from this company, without having any compassion for the innocent people you are torturing with your antics. I understand you are allowed to be there, but just because something is allowed doesn’t mean it’s right. If you can’t see the difference, you are no better than the company you’re protesting.
We are the heart and soul of these office buildings These office buildings can not run SAFELY without us. God forbid there is an emergency can the people working for 15 dollars an hour respond properly ???? Who will help FDNY if they come ????? This is the case !!!!and the tenants that are paying high rents deserve to work in a safe environment We are local 94 the best and the brightest in the business To all the union brothers of local 94 .I went down to the demonstrations 6 times I see the same faces .We have 6,500 plus members WHERE IS EVERYBODY
Ok Boomer
Umm, union workers are expensive because of the overhead their unions impose (execs, lawyers, offices, admin support, etc). They are not more expensive due to the expertise of the workers.
Ditto! When are they going to stop?? I cannot live in my apartment between the hours of 9am and 6pm (sometimes later!)
Agreed. I live around the corner and am tired of this. I pay wayyyyy (yes wayyyy) to much in local/property tax to hear union protestors all day. How about these protests make their way inside the lobby of 30 wall street so the protestors can disrupt the people they are actually trying to disrupt rather than the residents and businesses trying to go on around them. I guess that is the union’s point. Which makes them jerks. How about you learn to negotiate healthcare benefits like the private sector. Even people who work at Starbucks have been able to figure that out. You are losers!
Wake up Wall Street. This ongoing protest is not over a massive labor issue. This protest is about TWO JANITORS who lost their jobs because their employer did not want to pay exorbitant union worker fees. These protestors are only out there to make your life miserable so they can protect their overpriced jobs at buildings that are not even in your neighborhood. This has been going on for months, and should end now! We should not have to endure this noise pollution for months on end.
Hey Unions R Dumb
Read what John Says before you open your mouth
Hey M M
Do a history on union construction compare to NON union see the track record safety first
It is disgusting how this union leveraged the corona virus pandemic for their cause. On Mar 12th they had no less than 200 people yelling in the street to get attention from the news crews sent to Fidi to cover the stock market collapse. The residents of Fidi (myself included) have dealt with this protest for several months already. Many people are now trying to work from home since their employers have requested they stay off of public transportation. These protestors need to give the residents of Fidi a break while the world tries to sort out what could likely be a life altering pandemic. You’ve had enough opportunity to make your point.