February 4, 2012
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YOU ARE HERE >> Building Service Worker Awards
 

 

For the 2nd year in a row, 32BJ and Manhattan Media honored the hard working men and women who keep residential and commercial buildings throughout New York City running smoothly.  Hundreds of workers were nominated by residents and tenants - and 16 were chosen as the 2008 winners.  These fine men and women - who go above and beyond the call of duty on the job - were honored at an awards ceremony on October 2, 2008 emceed by award-winning journalist and long-time New Yorker Gabe Pressman.  We salute these workers who make our union proud!

Click here to read about the winners


Doorman named West Side's best

By Rich Schapiro

Published: October 2, 2008

Carlos Pellecier
Carlos Pellecier, voted best doorman on Manhattan’s West Side, stands proudly
outside his Riverside Drive building.

A brunette woman dressed in a short-sleeved shirt rushed across the lobby of her upper Manhattan apartment building Thursday.

Her doorman, Carlos Pellecier, shook his head as he watched her barrel toward the chilly air outside.

"Pam, Pam, you're killing me!" Pellecier, 48, said. "It's going to be 41 degrees when you come home. I don't want to hear you coughing tomorrow."

Minutes later, an elderly woman struggled up the stairs outside the building at 1380 Riverside Drive in Fort George. She was met instantly by Pellecier's right shoulder - and some reassuring words.

"Young lady, here's your arm," he said.

It's all in a day's work for Pellecier, who was honored Thursday night as the best doorman on Manhattan's West Side.

Stationed at the same 20-story building for the last 27 years, Pellecier takes special pride in "being there" for the tenants he has come to love like family.

"There's nothing I won't do for these people," Pellecier said. "After being here 40 hours a week for 27 years, I really care about them."

The feelings are mutual.

Affable and always crisply dressed, Pellecier is known as a caring confidant ready to provide a warm smile or a helping hand regardless of the circumstance.

"He's like that friend that waits every day in the morning for you and gives you that smile that you deserve," said Nina Binder, 27. "When you see Carlos, he makes you feel like you've really come home."

Pellecier was feted after winning a competition organized by the service union Local 32BJ and Manhattan Media, a consortium of neighborhood newspapers.

A die-hard Mets fan from the Bronx, Pellecier said he developed his professional style from watching the "old-school" doormen he worked beside when he was only 21.

Equal parts therapist, matchmaker and neighborhood fixer, Pellecier said he internalizes the ups and downs of his tenants.

He dispenses marital advice and professional counseling.

And he is also known in the neighborhood as a hero.

Twelve years ago, a bloodied Ann Farmer rushed into the building moments after she was mugged outside.

Without hesitation, Pellecier sprinted outside and tackled the fleeing robber, ripping Farmer's leather purse out of his arms.

"I didn't know he could run like that," Farmer, 54, said. "He's really special."

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Breslin, Pressman to Host 2nd Annual Building Service Awards


Published: October 2, 2008

Jimmy Breslin and Gabe Pressman will host the 2nd Annual Building Service Workers of the Year Awards event on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Local 32BJ and Manhattan Media present the annual event, which will recognize doormen, security officers, commercial office and school cleaners, handymen, and other service workers “who have made outstanding contributions to their workplace and community.”

There are 15 honorees this year.

Special distinctions will include the Lifesaver Award, recognizing those who went above and beyond the call of duty to keep others from harm; the 30 Year Award, which honors lifetime service; and the Doorman of the Year Award.

Winners were selected based on online nominations from co-workers, employers, building tenants, family and friends.

Awards will be presented by elected officials, Local 32BJ officers and representatives from the real estate industry.

The event will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Local 32BJ SEIU, 22nd floor, 101 Avenue of the Americas, corner of Grand Street in Manhattan.

With more than 100,000 members, including 70,000 in the New York City area, Local 32BJ is the largest property services union in the country.

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10/8/2008
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10/8/2008
Take a bow, Jimmy
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10/5/2008
NYC doorman voted West Side's best
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10/5/2008
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10/4/2008
Extra, Extra!
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10/3/2008
Doorman of the Year
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10/3/2008
Doorman of the Year
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10/3/2008
NYC doorman voted West Side's best
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10/3/2008
NYC doorman voted West Side's best
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10/3/2008
In The Papers: Doorman of the Year
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