Published: April 14, 2010

UPPER EAST SIDE — The doormen of New York City brought their contract fight to the heart of Manhattan's wealth and privilege with a Park Avenue rally that brought traffic to a standstill.

The NYPD estimated that 7,000 members of Local 32BJ marched in the rally between E. 79th and E. 84th streets to demand a continuation of family health care coverage, higher wages and retirement benefits for their upcoming contract.

"Everybody's struggling to make ends meet," said William Tricarico, a doorman for 11 years at 130 E. 67th Street in the Upper East Side. "We need to get our fair share. We're not asking for any more than we deserve."

Manhattan members of 32BJ voted in March to authorize a strike in the event that union leaders did not reach an agreement with the Realty Advisory Board, a group representing building owners.

The current contract, which covers 30,000 doormen, concierges, porters, property managers and superintendents, expires April 21 at midnight.

Apartment building workers make an average of $40,000 a year, according to the union.

Contract negotiations apparently hinge on differing views on the economy. Building owners say they need to keep costs down while the economy continues to sputter, the New York Times reported. The union says the owners weren't hit particularly hard by the economic crisis and point to signs that the economy is picking back up.

The costs of the benefits sought by the union is the sticking point for the Realty Advisory Board.

“I don’t think the real estate industry has a significant problem with the base wage,” Howard Rothschild, the board president, told the Times. “It’s that additional $30,000 a year that really costs for the benefits for most employees.”