Published: April 21, 2010

An eleventh-hour accord averted a threatened strike by an army of doormen, handymen, concierges and porters who keep things running smoothly at some 3,200 buildings in the city.

Officials of the 30,000-member Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union and the Realty Advisory Board left the bargaining table and the Sheraton New York shortly after 12:30 a.m. and announced a deal had been struck.

The union members outside greeted the news with applause, cheers and chants of "32BJ."

The union had authorized a walkout at 12:01 a.m. if its contract demands weren't met.

But no walkout materialized as negotiators remained huddled at the hotel working on an agreement.

Howard Rothschild of the realty board called the tentative contract a "victory" and said negotiators reached a "fair and reasonable agreement."

He said workers won't lose any sick days and that $70 million will be saved in health care, but gave no details.

Union official Mike Fishman said, "It's a very fair agreement and good for our workers."

It will give workers a 10% pay hike over the life of the four-year contract.

Earlier, both sides said privately there were still major issues, including wages and health care, on the table Tuesday night.

But Rothschild insisted "we have made progress" and vowed "talks will continue into this evening and maybe even late into the night, but I am hopeful that we will reach an agreement."

He said negotiators finally shook hands on an agreement in the last half-hour of talks.

A strike would have affected more than 1 million city apartment residents in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Buildings in the Bronx are covered by a separate contract.

Owners were demanding workers swallow a reduction in sick days - from 10 to five - and kick in 10% of family health insurance. They also wanted to eliminate pensions for new employees.

The union's members make an average of $40,500 a year.