DECONSTRUCTED: Who’s at the door?

The threat of a New York City doorman strike raised some interesting questions for roughly 1m residents. PERE magazine May issue 2010


Of the many luxuries that come with owning prime New York City real estate, having doormen and other staff to provide security and take out your garbage is probably taken for granted.

This could have changed, however, as some 30,000 members of the Service Employees International Union Local 32 BJ threatened to strike as of midnight on 20 April. If they didn’t recieve the higher wages and improved health benefits they were demanding, New Yorkers accustomed to having food deliveries sent straight to their apartments might have had to split shifts not only manning the front door, but also taking the building’s garbage to the curb.

It’s a shame all the non-elevator-doorman building residents didn’t get their chance to snicker at the residential elite who’d never dream of opening a door themselves. Who would have protected these upscale urbanites if their trusty doormen had left them in the lurch? If nothing else, maybe the smell of piling garbage would have kept the burglars away.